Nurse Isabelle and the Kanto Pokédex: the Diary of a Travelling Nurse
by Iridescent Isabelle
Summary: [rewritten version!] Isabelle Evergreen is a Pokémon nurse, travelling around Kanto to give health care on the road. Story includes themes such as romance, realism, Pokémon variations, and Pokémon as friends with personalities, not mindless tools.
1. 001 Bulbasaur

**#001 Bulbasaur**

 _Bulbasaur, the seed Pokémon. The grass-type starter of the Kanto region, raised by Breeders to be distributed to new trainers. Through selective breeding and having been domesticated from birth, Bulbasaur is regarded as both a rare and well-behaved Pokémon. It is known to be extremely loyal, even after long-term abandonment. Bulbasaur has also shown himself to be an excellent caretaker, even having a special technique called "bulba-by" (reference to a lullaby). To perform this technique, Bulbasaur uses its vines to pick up a young Pokémon and soothingly rocks it in the air._

 _Bulbasaur can be ground in grasslands and forests throughout the Kanto region. However, due to its status as a starter Pokémon, it is hard to come by in the wild. If one were to find a wild one, it may have a different personality than the domesticated variants – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle Evergreen had been summoned to Pallet Town, where she would meet with Professor Oak. The local Pokémon professor was well known and loved in the Kanto region, so Isabelle had been overjoyed to receive his email. With her spirits soaring high, she had packed her backpack and left the city of Celadon for Pallet. The sun was shining gently, and a slight breeze could be felt. It was a pleasant September day. Most young trainers chose their starter this month and set out on the path of independence. It seemed only fitting that Isabelle could start her journey this month as well.

When Pallet town was merely an hour of walking away, Izzy pulled out her phone and dialled the number she'd been given.

"Good day, Professor. This is Nurse Isabelle Evergreen. I'm calling about your summons; you see, I'll be there in an hour." In her eagerness to sound professional, the 20-year-old's voice trembled.

"Excellent! I suppose this is as good a time as any to explain what's going on, hm? As you know, the starters are chosen this month. Those from around Pallet have already visited a few days ago and taken theirs on their journey around the region. However, one girl has cancelled and Bulbasaur was not chosen. He's been acting strange since. I've been unable to get him to eat. That's why I called you. You've recently graduated as a nurse, right?"

"Yes sir. I'm honoured to be working with you!" Professor Oak laughed.

"I'm sure you are. Since I heard you wish to travel the region as well, as a nurse, not as a trainer seeking to challenge the gyms, your mentor and I found it fitting to have this as your first case. Now, be swift. I haven't got all day!" Oak's smile was audible in his voice.

Pallet town was a lovely, little town. Having grown up in the big city herself, Isabelle loved the activity that came with it. However, the charms of small-town living could not be denied. Oak's laboratory was based on top of the hill overlooking the town, surrounded by endless fields where the Pokémon he researched lived.

Upon reaching the tall, wooden house, Isabelle knocked gently, but no one answered. Izzy knocked again. The sound echoed through the hallway beyond but still no answer. The door, however, swung open when she tried the doorknob.

"Hello?" Isabelle called out. "It's me, Isabelle!" Only silence greeted her. With a sigh, she headed inside, accidentally bumping her backpack against the doorpost as she turned around to close the door. She had expected the professor to welcome her in. Wandering carefully through the hallway, Izzy found a glass door leading to the greenhouse. Just inside, a Bulbasaur laid on his stomach with his eyes tightly shut, pretending to be asleep in the sun. Carefully, Isabelle slid the glass door open and sat on the floor, dangling her feet outside in the greenhouse. Her trousers suddenly felt too restricting in the warm air of the temperature-controlled glass house. Still, she had other matters to attend to.

"Hello, Bulbasaur," she told the grass-type lying nearby. There came no reply, but she did not expect him to, either. Izzy paused a moment to see how dry his bulb looked. He wasn't in the best of health.

"Shall I tell you a story? This place reminds me of it. When I was younger, I used to have a few close friends. We were a funny, little group. Me, the daughter of a Pokémon nurse; Erika, the daughter of the local gymleader; and … what was her name?" Isabelle stayed silent for a moment, deep in thought, and then laughed. "I honestly can't remember. Anyway, she was the daughter of someone who'd won the Indigo League, I believe. That Kanto battle tournament. We were really close. Despite our differences, we did everything together. I hope you have ever felt - or will ever feel - that for yourself. It's one of the best feelings in the world, to have such a tight group."

Bulbasaur let out a hoarse croak; he was too well-mannered to ignore someone for a long time.

"About ten years ago, we separated. One of them accepted her starter from the Pokémon centre, set out on her journey, and forgot to write back. The other, Erika, was now old enough to learn how a gym was being run and was always busy there. And I? I finished the trainer's school and then went to nursing school, like my mother has done. It really hurt to lose them, but you know what they say? Just keep on going."

A light weight on Isabelle's leg made her look over. Bulbasaur had gotten up and rested his head on her thigh. Izzy smiled fondly and stroked his dry head.

"I know how you feel. You were close to the other Pokémon, weren't you? That is no reason to stop eating though, Bulba. Come on," she patted her lap and helped the bulky grass-type up on her lap. She did not care his muddy paws could give her grass-stains. Isabelle wrapped her arms around him, clasping them underneath his bulb and looked at him, nose to nose. She made sure she had eye-contact with his red eyes.

"I'm starting my journey today. The major towns have Pokémon centres, but there still isn't enough healthcare available for any and every Pokémon out there. In the Orange Islands, a Joy canoes between several islands. I want to be like her, but here on the mainland. I'll become one of the first travelling nurses. But you know what they say, it isn't safe to go alone. So, my little Bulbasaur, will you come with me and be my starter?"

This request was received with an ecstatic cry and a rough lick of his dried-out tongue. Only then did Professor Oak show up with lemonade, sandwiches, and Pokémon food. Bulbasaur leaped ungracefully off her lap and devoured the food as if he hadn't eaten in days, which was probably true. The nutrients in his bulb had sustained him, though.

Professor Oak had a little gift for her: it was her very own Pokédex. He explained she'd see many Pokémon during her travels and expressed his wish she recorded their data. The device did most of the work. All she had to do was scan them and possibly add some extra data if an anomaly was to be found.

Re-energised after lunch, Isabelle and Bulbasaur set out on their journey. Izzy promised to keep professor Oak updated with emails on what she found out there in Kanto. They waved until Oak went back inside and then turned around to face the open world that laid in front of them. Time to start an adventure.


	2. 002 Ivysaur

**#002 Ivysaur**

 _Ivysaur, the seed Pokémon. The evolved form of Bulbasaur. When the bulb has grown even bigger, its weight now prevents Ivysaur from standing on its hind legs and forces its legs to grow sturdier. When its flower is ready to bloom, it gives off a distinct, strong, sweet-smelling aroma and starts swelling. Ivysaur will also start spending more time in the sunlight in preparation for its upcoming evolutions. Exposure to sunlight adds to the strength of both Ivysaur and its plant, so a garden is a must when you own one of these Pokémon. Just as with Bulbasaur, Ivysaur are rare in the wild, as many are in captivity. – Nurse Evergreen._

It was like Bulbasaur had never been outside in his entire, young life. The little, ecstatic grass-type's attention span has hit an all-time low. One moment, he was stomping his little paws to see how the grass bent and straightened underneath him. Another moment, he dashed forward to smell some shrubbery that he and Nurse Isabelle passed on their way through the gardens of Professor Oak's. The sun was still shining as pleasantly as it had that morning and all was calm, so Isabelle found it easy to share in her newly adopted Pokémon's happiness.

These fields were filled with the Pokémon owned by the trainers under professor Oak. He would store and care for the Pokémon they weren't using and in exchange, he could study them all. The trainers that received their Pokémon from a Pokémon centre sent their Pokémon to said centre, where they were cared for when they were not with the trainer.

When they neared the outer edge of these seemingly endless fields, cries of distress could be heard. Quickening their gait, they encountered the backside of a Pokémon that looked like Bulbasaur. The hint of red inside the bulb as the first petals had already opened revealed it as an Ivysaur. The fact the flower was only barely visible meant this Ivysaur had only recently evolved. Over time, more and more of the flower would become visible as the leaves of the bulb would peel open.

This Ivysaur had gotten himself in quite a predicament; possibly lured by the sounds and smells of the town, he seemingly had tried to crawl underneath the wooden fence that surrounded the place. However, the big bulb on his back could not fit under and now the pudgy thing was stuck.

With a little giggle, Isabelle leapt nimbly over the fence and knelt in front of him, stroking his frowning face gently.

"It's okay, sweetie. We'll get you out," she cooed at him. "Bulbasaur, could you wrap your vines around his body? When I give you the signal, I want you to pull."

"Saur!" That sounded like an affirmative. Isabelle gently placed her hands on where his shoulders would be.

"Now, Bulba!" As Bulbasaur pulled and Izzy pushed, Ivysaur slid free from the fence, dragging some dirt along with him. As Ivysaur stood up and shook himself, Isabelle gently inspected his bulb for damage. Luckily, there was none. The flower was entirely intact. Only Ivysaur's pride seemed to be dented. Isabelle did notice that Ivysaur's skin was a darker colour than her own Bulbasaur's. She wasn't sure whether this came through evolution or that this was merely a variation among their kind.

As soon as Izzy let the Ivysaur go, the bigger grass-type greeted her own starter excitedly. They talked to each other in their gruff voices, still adorable with young age. Occasionally, they looked at the young nurse with something that resembled a grin. It was very fun to see that even Pokémon could have family and friends.

Sitting on the offending fence, Isabelle brushed her trousers off, scratching some at the grass-stains. Her pale pink shirt was unharmed, though. While she didn't wear a uniform, the colour was meant to remind one of the customary outfits the nurses at Pokécentres wore. Instead of the dainty slippers, she wore comfortable sneakers that followed the same colour pattern.

Isabelle watched as Bulbasaur conversed with what seemed to be a close friend as she played with the Pokédex she had received. She scanned the Ivysaur and typed a tiny remark about this Pokémon's slightly darker hide. Izzy hoped that if she kept this up in a neat fashion, her work would be of use to Professor Oak, who had been so kind to give the remaining Bulbasaur to her.

Additionally, she took a photo of the two of them playing and talking and sent it to her friend Erika back in Celadon. When she left home, she promised to keep her oldest friend updated on her journey.

She allowed them to play a little and catch up before calling Bulbasaur back. The sun had started its descent and the sky had gone from a light blue to shades of orange and purple. Her starter hobble-ran his way over to Izzy, rubbed his head affectionately against her leg, and cried out a farewell to the Ivysaur, who returned to the lab for food time.

Rubbing Bulbasaur's head lovingly, Isabelle lifted him over the fence and set out back to Pallet town, where they would spend the night before heading out on a new day of their adventure. If she could, she wanted to keep her Pokémon outside of their balls as much as she could. She could study them better that way and it was scientifically proven that it kept them much happier. And that was what's most important, she thought.


	3. 003 Venusaur

**#003 Venusaur**

 _Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon. The evolved form of Ivysaur and the final evolution of Bulbasaur. A female Venusaur has a seed in the centre of her flower. When the flower has bloomed, Venusaur uses it to catch the sun's rays and convert them into energy, which causes the flower's colours to be more vibrant. The flower also releases a soothing scent that attracts Pokémon. This scent becomes stronger after a rainy day. Most grass-types see Venusaur as some sort of leader of their type. It's also amusing to note that when a Venusaur closes its bulb, covering the flower, it looks like a very big Bulbasaur. – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle remembered clearly when she first encountered the final evolution of the Kanto grass-type starter, Venusaur, on her travels. Back at the practice, the gentle giants had been good-natured and very helpful as they were being treated. Their trainers had raised them with great care, and it showed.

It had been on a rather pleasant day on route 6. As usual, Izzy allowed Bulbasaur out of his ball. After all, how is one supposed to build a bond with a Pokémon if it's always contained in its ball? Once out of his ball, Bulbasaur seemed to smell something. He gave an excited cry and dashed into the tall grass, making him nearly disappear from view. Only the rustling of the grass where it spread for Bulbasaur's bulky body told Izzy where her Pokémon was. It ran to a clearing, near the lake, where a massive shape could be seen. The scent Izzy always associated with the forest became stronger as they approached. When they were near, Izzy finally understood what the shape was. It was a pink-flowered Venusaur and it was quite a bit taller than herself. Venusaur were rare to find in the wild because most Bulbasaur are bred in captivity. The best chance of finding a Venusaur was encountering one that had been freed or abandoned by its trainer. Instances of escape were rare due to Bulbasaur's loyal nature.

Near the Venusaur were bushes that caught Isabelle's attention. The yellow, roundish shape of the berries that hung from it was unmistakable. Sitrus berries! She opened her berry case after pulling it out of her backpack. Slowly, she made her way to the berry bush, hoping not to agitate the Pokémon that was not only taller than her but also heavier. Unfortunately, this Venusaur turned out not to be keen on trainers. Grunting its cry, a blue cloud of spore waved up from his flower. Immediately recognising it as sleep powder, Isabelle dashed away, out of reach. Cursing softly, she returned to where she thought Bulbasaur was, only to find out that he had gone towards the moody Venusaur. Totally in awe, he looked up at his final evolution, probably imagining the day he looked like that. Only when Izzy had backed off sufficiently, did the Venusaur stop growling at her.

Watching the two of them, it became clear to the young nurse that Bulbasaur tried to impress Venusaur by showing off that he, too, could use sleep powder, though all he managed was a tiny little puff. Venusaur grunted its laugh and demonstrated it again, making sure not to hit the smaller grass-type. It never ceased to amaze Isabelle how social these Pokémon were. Even a total stranger like Venusaur would treat her small-ish Bulbasaur like an old friend.

Since it was becoming quite dangerous to stay near them, Isabelle wandered off a little to look for more Sitrus berries. She desperately wanted to have some since they caused faster healing and acted as painkillers. She found a couple, but the bushes they grew on had already been plucked by other humans or Pokémon. None of them were as full as the bushes near Venusaur.

After half an hour, she returned to the place where she left Bulbasaur. To her surprise, Venusaur was looking rather drowsy with a proud-looking Bulbasaur in front of him. Bulbasaur even held some of the Sitrus berries in his vines, holding them out for her. A brilliant smile curled on Izzy's face and she knelt in front of Bulbasaur to rub his head thoroughly, whispering the praise he deserved. With his vines, he plucked the berries and gave them to his trainer. Within minutes, her berry case was overflowing with Sitrus berries. Venusaur had fallen asleep while they worked, so Izzy and Bulbasaur left quietly before Venusaur woke up.

During lunch, sufficiently far away from the Venusaur who would be in an awful mood when he woke up, Izzy ground most of the berries into a paste which would keep longer than the berries themselves.

Once again, Bulbasaur managed to puff a respectable amount of sleep powder pollen, making Izzy cheer and applaud. It would be rather useful for a nurse to have a Pokémon that knows sleep powder, and it was incredibly impressive he learnt it so quickly. It may have something to do with how he learnt it from his kin, rather than tried to come up with it himself.


	4. 004 Charmander

**#004 Charmander**

 _Charmander, the lizard Pokémon. A fire burns at the tip of this Pokémon's slender tail and has blazed there since Charmander's birth. The flame can be used as an indication of Charmander's health and mood, burning brightly when the Pokémon is strong, weakly when it is exhausted, wavering when it is happy, and blazing when it is enraged. It is said that Charmander dies if its flame goes out. However, if the Pokémon is healthy, the flame will continue to burn if gets a bit wet and is said to steam in the rain. Charmander can be found in hot, mountainous areas. However, it is found far more often in the ownership of trainers. Charmander exhibits pack behaviour, calling others of its species if it finds food. – Nurse Evergreen_

Nurse Isabelle's journey to provide healthcare to wild Pokémon and trainers on the road as a travelling nurse brought her to Cinnabar island after receiving a worried call from the Nurse Joy there. Living on an island meant that all medicine had to be shipped in and, occasionally, a shipload was late. The late delivery had come in at an exceptionally bad time; since many young trainers had challenged the Cinnabar gymleader in the last couple of days and had lost against the fire-type trainer. Because of this, Nurse Joy was extremely busy with treating the injured and burned Pokémon and could not go to get more medicine herself.

A shipping company could have been hired, but the funds for such a trip were unavailable to the centre. The medicine, however, was in such urgent demand that it could not even wait for the slow process of shipping, even if the money had been available. Nurse Isabelle overheard this conflict back at the mainland and offered to bring it, as she had been planning on visiting either way and could use the tiny compensation that was legally obligated.

Packed full with supplies, Isabelle arrived by a small fisher's boat, shakily stepping foot on shore again. The young nurse didn't want to waste any time and thus she tugged the bags higher over her shoulder and marched up to the Pokécentre. Because she was a nurse herself, she did not have to waste time at the reception and was waved in, trusting the basic layout was the same to find the medicine storage where she could unpack. Someone would find her as she worked. She still wore the characteristic colour scheme of a Pokémon centre nurse so no one would accuse her of being an intruder. If needed, she could identify herself as well. Eventually, as she put the last potions away, Nurse Joy herself came walking in. She looked flustered and absolutely exhausted, but she had her customary smile on her face.

"I'm so glad you're here. Come with me, I have a treat for you that I haven't managed to give attention to, yet. Oh, and take those burn heals. You're going to need them," Nurse Joy said, earning her a suspicious look from Izzy. Putting the empty bags in the recycling bin, she put a couple burn heals in her own backpack and followed Nurse Joy, who had already left, hastily.

Joy led her into a deeper part of the centre, where trainers were never allowed to come. Some bunkbeds were here for residing nurses and a private bathroom. Under a heat lamp in the nursery, a single orange egg rested on a pillow, unhatched yet. Near that egg, two young Charmander sat. They were so young their eyes hadn't even opened yet. And still they swayed those burning tails around everywhere as they crawled and fell over the egg and each other. Their flames were no bigger than a tea light. It was a good thing a glass wall was built around the hatching area or else they would probably have fallen off the table.

As Isabelle approached, the reason Joy told her to bring the burn heals became evident. Because they could not see yet, let alone control their flaming tail, they burned themselves and each other with the fire, giving them small blisters all over their orange bodies.

Smiling fondly, Isabelle pulled up a chair and took one of the Charmander out of the box and cradled it on her lap, careful of the tail. It was no larger than hand, so newly hatched. They would grow eventually to be the knee-height size most knew them as, but for now, they were the warmest babies she'd held in a long time

Tickling it gently with her bare hands, she sprayed some burn heal on the blistered skin, rubbing it in gently. As Izzy worked with the first Charmander, its eyes slowly opened and it let out a soft "chaaaar," making Izzy smile fondly. Young Pokémon were adorable in their innocence.

On another chair, Joy sat with the second Charmander. The women shared a smile as they were reminded of one of the reasons why they love this work.


	5. 005 Charmeleon

**#005 Charmeleon**

 _Charmeleon, the flame Pokémon. The evolved form of Charmander. In the rocky mountains where Charmeleon live, their fiery tails shine at night like stars. Charmeleon has a vicious nature and will constantly seek out opponents. Strong opponents excite this Pokémon, causing it to spout bluish-white flames that torch its surroundings. However, it will relax once it has won. It is rare in the wild, but it can be found in mountainous areas. – Nurse Evergreen_

Charmeleon were known as tricky Pokémon to handle, especially for starters, because they loved to fight. As long as they fought other Pokémon and obeyed their trainers, all was relatively well, but it occasionally happened that Charmeleon turned against their friends and family. Such a case was brought to Nurse Isabelle's attention. Still on Cinnabar island, the parents of those baby Charmander were a pack of wild Charmeleon. Nurse Joy explained to Isabelle where those Charmeleon could be found but warned her; this pack was rather aggressive. A smaller female was seen amongst them that did not look healthy the previous time Joy saw it. Nurse Joy had asked whether Izzy had any urgent cases, and if she didn't, if she could please look for that Charmeleon. Just to make sure she was doing better.

The Charmeleon were not hard to follow. They had left a path of destruction with burned grass and claw marks in trees, beyond the inhabited part of the island. Just up ahead, she could see the Charmeleon walking uphill, towards the volcano. Summer had passed and therefore the Charmeleon made their trek back to the volcano to prevent undercooling thanks to the heat of the lava. Mt Cinnabar hasn't erupted in a long time, but the volcano was still active. The Charmeleon may have something to do with it. Isabelle made a mental note to write a blog post about her suspicions later.

Just as Izzy came close to the pack, one of the Charmeleon collapsed and crashed heavily to the ground, causing a cloud of volcanic dust to billow up. The other Charmeleon barely glanced at their fallen pack mate before continuing. Not wishing to attract the attention of so many Charmeleon without any Pokémon suitable to defend herself with, Izzy had to hide nearby until the group was gone. Only then did she dash towards the fallen one.

A quick check told her that the Charmeleon was female and in a rather bad state. Her rusty-red body was covered in scratches that had bled in the past but had already been turned to crusts by her body heat. Whatever skin was not cut up was burned by a fire attack. Her skin was also extremely dry and her claws were too long and cracked. Her tail burned weakly. This Pokémon was in grave need of help.

Unsure where to begin, Isabelle checked whether the Charmeleon was still alive and breathing. It may sound crude but there was no use in treating a Pokémon that had passed away. Faintly, some scorching air came out of the fire-type's mouth; a tell-tale sign she was still breathing. As she cast a quick glance around, on the lookout for the other Charmeleon, Izzy pulled out a potion from the pack she had always with her and began treating the poor, fallen Charmeleon. If this fire-type still wanted to go back to her group, she had to re-join them soon. If not, she'd probably be cast out for good.

The Charmeleon made no move to get up, though. Making the decision for her, Isabelle gathered the fire-type in her arms and started to carry it back to the Pokécentre. It was lighter than the nearly twenty kilos it's supposed to weigh, which was worrying. Charmeleon's flame was still rather weak too, even after being administered the potion. If Izzy did not hurry, the Charmeleon wouldn't need to worry about what came after this episode since there might not be anything after it. As Izzy rushed down the side of the volcano, she could hear murmuring behind her. Carefully looking over her shoulder, she saw that the other Charmeleon were back. They did not attack her, though, so the nurse kept walking briskly downhill to get the smaller, female Charmeleon in safety.

It was not hard to get an emergency stretcher for Charmeleon at the Pokécentre. It seems Joy had expected something like this to have happened and had already prepared a room. In there, she worked hard as Izzy washed the dirt off her face and arms. Her pants were yet again filthy because of the dust that caked the ground outside.

After washing up, the young woman stood on the other side of the window overlooking the room in which the recovering Pokémon rested. The smallish Charmeleon occupied a bed nearby, allowing the nurse to watch over her with ease. Her breathing was still too shallow for Izzy's liking and her tail burned merely weakly, though stronger than before. However, the nurse had done the best she could. Now, it was up to the Charmeleon to fight for her life.

The pack of Charmeleon were not likely to take the fallen one back, so this Charmeleon will be put up for adoption for those willing to raise her. The Charmander line were popular with trainers so she should find a good home soon.


	6. 006 Charizard

**#006 Charizard**

 _Charizard, the flame Pokémon. The final evolution of Charmander and the evolved form of Charmeleon. Charizard's powerful flame can burn absolutely anything. It uses its wings to fly high. The temperature of its fire increases as it gains experience in battle. A Charizard flies around the sky searching for powerful opponents. However, it never turns its fiery breath on any opponent weaker than itself – Nurse Evergreen_

Nurse Isabelle could hear him long before she could see him. The mighty roar of a Charizard echoed through Fuchsia city as she spoke to Officer Jenny about the situation. On route 15 to the east, a Charizard was wreaking havoc. Witnesses told the officer that the fire-type seemed enraged about something. All of them spoke about his flamethrower as he set the trees around him on fire, but there was only one witness that testified that the Charizard might be limping. Just in case, that's why a nurse was called to help with this. From all the nurses in the nearby area, Isabelle was the bravest, possibly naively so. Most Pokémon that were brought to the centres were docile and belonged to trainers, so this was an interesting challenge.

Calling Bulbasaur from his ball, Izzy knelt just before the exit of the town. She filled Bulbasaur in about what was going on:

"This Charizard isn't attacking to harm anyone, I bet. It's probably hurt and confused. We must keep that in mind. Now, I know that a Charizard would have a type advantage against you. That's why I will not force you to battle it. What we do is this: I will distract it, hopefully not get burnt while you wrap your vines around it from behind to pin his wings and tail to his body and then use your sleep powder. Even if he's stronger than you are, it should still make him drowsy and calm him down some. Okay?"

"Bulba!" Since that was as good as an answer as she was going to get, the travelling nurse and her Bulbasaur moved out towards route 15.

It was a risky plan and if she'd tell her friends, family or colleagues, they'd be upset with her. But this was her duty as a nurse. This Pokémon needed help and she had to act before a trainer decided to knock the Charizard out with an attack, enraging it even further.

It became hotter and hotter as Izzy approached the site. The trees around here were burning, but the firefighters could not extinguish it until the Charizard would stop torching the whole place.

Bulbasaur sneaked close to the ground, making no noise as he crept away from her to be able to attack Charizard from the back. Isabelle walked slowly and in plain view. The fact that Charizard wasn't doing this to be evil showed in the fact that he did not shoot his flamethrower right at her as soon as he saw her.

"Hey there, big boy," Isabelle said softly, inching towards the enraged fire-type with her hands held up. "What's bothering you?"

Severely stressed, the fire-type huffed and shot fire right up, more to show off and release tension than to attack.

"Calm down… Recognise these colours? That's right. I'm a nurse. I can make the pain go away. But only if you let me come close to you," she kept her voice slow and pleasant, trying to be as non-threatening as she could.

Still, the Charizard was too agitated for this because when Isabelle came too close, he reared his wings up to either blow her over or fly up.

"Now, Bulbasaur!" Izzy said urgently, trying her best not to yell. It made her proud to see vines wrap around the orange-scaled Pokémon as soon as she gave the command. That dangerous tail and those powerful wings were flattened against his bulky body.

Just in time, Izzy took a few steps back to allow the blueish sleep powder to wash over the fire-type. But the numbing effect came a bit too late. Charizard, feeling betrayed, had shot a small ember at her, his weakest fire attack. It glanced against her arm and burned her skin, causing the girl to cry out in pain and grasp her arm. She had no time to worry about herself, though. The Charizard was getting drowsy and had fallen on his behind.

"I'm fine! Keep holding him," she answered the worried cry of her starter. Kneeling onto the scorched grass, Isabelle inspected his rear legs to expose what had been hurting him. His skin was properly hot but that was no surprise with so much fire-breathing exercise.

She found a nasty cut underneath his foot, possibly caused by a sharp rock. That's probably what had been hurting him this whole time. Taking a potion from her back, she sprayed it over the wound, watching as it numbed the pain and created a little layer over the wound, closing the wound into a jagged line that would slowly fade as the body's natural healing took over.

Looking up, she was startled to see the Charizard looking down at her. Possibly because this Charizard was so much stronger than her own Pokémon, sleep powder had had little effect. Isabelle was relieved to see the fire-type looked sane again. The glint of mania had left his eyes.

"Hey there, big boy," Isabelle said again, stroking his belly with the flat of her hand, trying to ignore the burning sensation in her arm. "Welcome back to us. Bulbasaur, release him." On her command, the vine whip drew back, freeing the Flame Pokémon.

"Do be more careful, next time. And if you're in pain, just try to find me, okay?" She patted the Charizard on his arm as he spread his wings to fly off, back to where he came from now that he could function again without pain.

Only then did the firefighters rush in to try to salvage as much as they could from the burning forest. Officer Jenny herded her away to a pop-up hospital where her first-degree burn would be treated. The wound would heal without a scar, but it served as a strict reminder that Pokémon could seriously harm her if she was not careful.


	7. 007 Squirtle

**#007 Squirtle**

 _Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokémon. Squirtle's shell is a useful tool. It can withdraw into the shell for protection or for sleeping, and its grooved, rounded shape helps to reduce water resistance when this Pokémon swims. Squirtle can spray foamy water from its mouth with great accuracy. Squirtle is scarce in the wild, although it can be found around small ponds and lakes. It can be found living on secluded islands with other members of its evolutionary line – Nurse Evergreen._

Pokémon could get lonely and depressed when they were always stuck in their Pokéballs, so whenever Nurse Isabelle had the opportunity to let her Pokémon wander around, she embraced it with open arms. Today, they were at a lake. At one part of the lake a river came crashing down quite roughly; the source was in a massive mountain, suggesting the riverbed was filled with rocks that had been carried downstream by the strength of the water. After Bulbasaur had drunk his fill, they walked next to the little river, following it upstream. The sound of rushing water on such a clear day was relaxing for once. Being a nurse was quite hectic. The burn on her arm had only just healed, but the skin still needed special care to prevent dryness.

Upstream, Isabelle found a highly adorable scene. A group of Squirtle were playing in the rough water. They started at a relatively calm spot and let themselves be pulled by the current as they surfed on their shells. Judging from their happy cries, they were having a jolly good time. It made Isabelle smile as she watched them from a bit further away. Some of the Squirtle were smaller than others. Maybe they were younger or simply smaller of posture in general. The currents especially loved an especially tiny one, because that Squirtle was swung around the most. It actually worried Isabelle a little.

Izzy absolutely hated it when her gut feeling turned out to be correct. At the tiny Squirtle's next run, a current smashed it against a rock. Two sounds could be heard and neither of them were pleasant: A sickening crack and a pained scream. Floating the rest of the course on its back, the little turtle Pokémon did not enjoy it anymore as it kept crying out in pain. The sound broke her heart. Instincts kicking in, Isabelle dashed to the waterside to rescue the Squirtle who, probably from the pain, was unable to flip over anymore or do anything else, other than cry.

With a mighty leap, Isabelle sprang into the brisk river to get to the Squirtle. Within seconds, even her hair was wet despite keeping her head above water. The current was stronger than she had expected, but she did not care about it right now. All that mattered was the tiny turtle that needed her help.

Bulbasaur proved himself to be a Pokémon worthy of being a nurse's companion, and probably more intelligent than Isabelle. As soon as his human reached the Squirtle and wrapped her arms around it, he wrapped his vines around her waist and pulled her back out of the water to prevent her from drowning or being swept away over the rocks downstream.

Crawling back ashore, she smiled at her grass-type, rubbing his head as she kept the whimpering Squirtle against her chest. She had to hold it carefully because its shell was broken. Up close, Isabelle could tell this Squirtle was a female and just generally smaller than average. She seemed to be just as old as the other Squirtle, Isabelle guessed.

With an injury like this, Squirtle would need to be taken care of for a long time. So, Isabelle turned to the other Squirtle and told them she would go to the nearest town with their friend to have her treated at the Pokécentre. Then, soaking wet, Isabelle marched off to get this Squirtle some help as soon as possible. Luckily the Pokécentre, and a shower, wasn't more than a fifteen-minute walk away.

"The things I do for you Pokémon," Isabelle muttered, wiping her wet, blond hair out of her face that had begun to annoy her.

The Squirtle had had to spend weeks at the centre to totally recover. By then, the local Nurse Joy had grown so attached to it that she adopted the tiny turtle. As the centre was located near an inland lake in which the river flows where Squirtle grew up, the turtle was never far away from home. Additionally, she helped Joy with all water Pokémon that need help. A scar marks the shell but according to Joy, it adds to her charm.


	8. 008 Wartortle

**#008 Wartortle**

 _Wartortle, the turtle Pokémon. The evolved form of Squirtle. As Wartortle grows old, its tail fur will darken, and it may have algae growing on its shell. The shell may also carry scars from past battles. To maintain balance while swimming at high speeds, Wartortle moves its furry ears and tail. It can use the fur to store air for extended underwater diving. Its tail is a popular symbol of longevity, making it popular with the elderly. It hides in water when hunting and emerges to surprise its prey. Wartortle can be found living in colonies on islands, but its preferred habitat seems to be freshwater ponds and lakes – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle's meeting with Wartortle happened during the time she spent watching over the injured Squirtle. When she had reached the Pokécentre with the injured Squirtle, Nurse Joy had taken it to the emergency room after tossing Izzy the keys to the nurse's rooms in the back of the centre. There, Izzy took a well-deserved warm shower and dressed in the standard nurse uniform while hers was drying. It felt weird to wear a skirt again. Braiding her wet hair back in a braid down the back of her head, Isabelle went down to the waiting area, taking up an entire couch, and spent the waiting time brushing Bulbasaur with a soft brush. She even rubbed his bulb with a soft cloth and sprayed it with a spray bottle to keep it moist. Despite the skin having recovered from earlier malnutrition, Bulbasaur was still smaller than she liked him being. Seems like his self-imposed diet had stunted his growth a little.

By the time Nurse Joy returned, Bulbasaur was napping on a sunny spot of one of the couches, sighing contently. Without saying anything, Isabelle followed Joy into the room she had placed Squirtle. The tiny turtle had been calmed with some medicine, that much was clear from the soft look in her eyes. She looked tinier than ever because her shell was wrapped tightly in bandages to keep the crack together and allow it to heal properly. To calm the Squirtle down a little when the sedation would wear off, Isabelle took some markers and began to colour the bandages in the colours of her own shell, to look less injured. Joy left her alone to do that, as she was called away to heal someone's Pokémon for them. It had taken over two hours, but when she was done, the belly was pale yellow again and the top was brown. Putting the last of the lines on the 'shell', Isabelle put the markers aside and pulled up a chair to watch over the Pokémon so it wouldn't be alone when it woke up. Being a wild Squirtle, this was probably her first experience in a Pokécentre. As she waited, she typed on a laptop, writing a few blog posts, making notes of minor discoveries she'd made, and sent a few emails to friends and family. Apparently, there was a new girl at Erika's gym, back home in Celadon.

Isabelle remembered waking up to some rustling. When she opened her eyes, everything was dark. Experience had taught her that if something woke her up in the middle of the night, it was best not to move right away. And that experience proved to be useful yet again. The window had been opened, the sound of which had woken her up, and several Pokémon had made their way inside. Even though it was dark and the colours were not clearly visible, their shapes made it clear who they were. These turtles must be the injured Squirtle's friends. A bigger turtle stood underneath the window, catching the Squirtle that leapt up from outside and lowering them on the floor silently. Its tail was much fuller than those of the Squirtle too.

Watching through her eyelashes, she saw how all the Squirtle had brought gifts. They laid berries and shells everywhere, apples and pretty rocks. It was quite touching to see how they cared for their injured bale member. The Squirtle left again, able to climb out of the window themselves, now that their hands were empty. The bigger turtle did not leave just yet. In fact, it came towards Isabelle and laid its hand on her arm. No longer pretending she was asleep, she lifted her head up to look at the Pokémon. It was a Wartortle, the evolved form of Squirtle.

"Hello, there," Isabelle whispered. This Wartortle was a smart one. Izzy could see its eyes move over her backpack in which some empty Pokéballs laid. Bulbasaur was still sleeping outside so all of them were empty at the moment. Isabelle wasn't worried for Bulbasaur because there was always a nurse at the desk, able to see Bulbasaur laying on the couch. Wartortle looked at Izzy's clothing, recognising the nurse uniform. The female water Pokémon noted the markers and the drawing on Squirtle's bandages.

"Wartortle," it replied in a voice that was a bit higher pitched, quite like that of the female Squirtle.

"Don't worry about Squirtle. She won't wake up alone. Or do you want to stay here too? You can explain the gifts," Isabelle suggested. Wartortle's reply made her smile. She loved being able to predict Pokémon a little. Wartortle settled on an empty bed and watched Izzy as she worked once again on her laptop. An escaped laugh from a silly photo caused the Wartortle to rustle her tail indignantly, as if insulted she were laughed at.

Dawn did not take long to arrive and with the rising sun, the Squirtle awoke too. At first, it was confused, but Wartortle took a mighty leap onto the bed and started explaining. In her explanation, the turtle also pointed at Nurse Isabelle. As they had waited for Squirtle to wake up, Isabelle had explained to Wartortle who she was and what she did. Bulbasaur had even woken up to crawl back to his Pokéball, letting himself in without even a glance at the Wartortle. Imagine being exhausted after napping all day.

Wartortle's explanation calmed the Squirtle down and, with delight, it began checking out all the gifts and starting on the apples that were left for her. Assured that Squirtle would be fine, Wartortle leapt off and walked to Isabelle. She pointed at the Pokéballs.

"War! Wartortle! Tortle!" It exclaimed in a manner that felt quite demanding, like a little diva. It was almost as if she said, "You need me. Take me with you." It was true that Bulbasaur wasn't a born Pokémon spokesperson but the confidence of this Wartortle was equally impressive as arrogant.

"Excuse me? Sure, you may come, but I am in charge, Wartortle. Are we clear?" Isabelle asked, pulling out an empty Pokéball.

"War," she said haughtily and pressed her claw against the button, allowing herself to be sucked in. The ball didn't even shake once, accepting Wartortle into her team.

"You're going to be an interesting one. But welcome to the team, Wartortle."

Many weeks after that day, Isabelle received the email notifying her the Squirtle had fully healed with a photo attached of the happy Squirtle on Joy's shoulders, like true partners.


	9. 009 Blastoise

**#009 Blastoise**

 _Blastoise, the shellfish Pokémon. The final evolution of Squirtle and the evolved form of Wartortle. The powerful cannons on this Pokémon's back are capable of producing water blasts that can pierce steel and concrete. Blastoise deliberately makes itself heavy to withstand these powerful blasts, and it will crush its opponents with its bulk. Blastoise can take the role of a leader in large groups of Squirtle and Wartortle. Its preferred habitat seems to be freshwater ponds and lakes – Nurse Evergreen._

"Excuse me!" A male voice called out, causing Isabelle to look around. A young man with wild brown hair approached her. They were in a small local Pokémon centre where Isabelle had stopped to accept a desk shift to earn some money for on the road.

"How can I help you?" Izzy asked, turning to face the man who was about her age. She already opened the programs necessary to register a Pokémon into the centre who needed medical attention

"You're a nurse, right. Nurse Isabelle?"

Isabelle blinked. "Yes, I am. Have you heard of me?"

The young man smiled and nodded in response to her question. "I have! Your blog has become quite popular among trainers. I'm quite honoured to meet the only travelling nurse in the world!"

Isabelle smiled bashfully, bowing her head to let the bangs done up hair to fall in her face and hide her blush a little. "The pleasure is all mine. How can I help you?"

In answer to that, the trainer pulled two Pokéballs from his belt. "My name is Gary. Gary Oak. Could you look at my Pokémon for me? They're not hurt or anything! I'd just like them checked up to make sure they're in great physical condition. You see, I just adopted a new member and I'd like to confirm she's doing well. The other is one of my best."

"Sure! No problem. Show me the first one." Isabelle said, standing up and getting out of the desk area for some more room. Briefly she prepared herself mentally for whatever may come.

The first Pokémon was a Blastoise. The water-type was nearly as tall as Izzy herself was but twice as broad, easily. With a focused mind, the young nurse went to work. She checked his teeth and ears for how clean they were. She checked his water spouts to see if they could extend and withdraw properly. She even made the Blastoise trickle a tiny bit of water to listen for any clogs in his spouts.

"Perfectly fine. You've taken very good care of your Pokémon. Was this your starter? Blastoise seems very fond of you," Isabelle praised, which Blastoise confirmed with a long, slow "blaaaaas".

"He was. We've been through a lot together. Now, I've adopted a Pokémon from a Pokémon centre. Nurse Joy said she could not be returned to the wild because her group had abandoned her, so she had stuck around the centre. I came by and saw her training outside. Feisty thing, she is. That's what sparked my interest in the first place. Blastoise and I went to her and offered to spar with her since that would be much better training. Anyway, here she is. The newest member of my team," Gary said, opening his second Pokéball.

A Charmeleon came out in a bright light, one that seemed familiar to Isabelle. She looked much better now but Izzy was rather sure she knew this fire-type.

"Did you, by any chance, find this Charmeleon at Cinnabar island?" Isabelle asked, just to be sure.

"Yes. Why?" Gary said.

"I believe that I know this one. I saved her life when I was there. Hey there, Charmeleon. Remember me?" Isabelle asked, lowering her head a bit to get closer to the Pokémon that came to about her waist.

Narrow green eyes looked at the nurse. The female Pokémon took a deep sniff and then launched herself at Isabelle, wrapping herself in a rather violent hug, knocking her off her feet. With a ruffle of skirts, both of them landed on the floor with her back against the reception desk.

"It seems she does," Isabelle said breathlessly, stroking over Charmeleon's head. "I am so pleased to see you have survived. How are you feeling now? How's Mr Oak treating you?" Charmeleon answered in her own language, but her new-found joy in life was easy to recognise.

"No way! Is this the Charmeleon from your blog? I read all about it, of course, but I expected it to have returned to their pack. To think I have one of Nurse Isabelle's rescued Pokémon. Awesome!" Gary's excitement made her fiddle with her hair, bashfully. She had not expected to be recognised or admired. She simply wrote to keep a diary for herself and provided info for any rangers or nurses that may be interested in the cases.

"Don't worry about a thing, Mr Oak. Your Charmeleon is perfectly okay." Isabelle told the brown-haired young man with a stunning smile.


	10. 010 Caterpie

**#010 Caterpie**

 _Caterpie, the worm Pokémon. Caterpie will shed its skin many times before finally cocooning itself in thick silk. It can also spit this silk in order to entangle foes. Its primary diet is vegetation, and its voracious appetite causes it to eat leaves larger than itself. Its favourite food is the Vermilion flower. Caterpie lives in forests – Nurse Evergreen_

Walking through the main road of Viridian Forest, Nurse Isabelle did not keep her attention on the road. She was familiar with the peaceful forest and could walk this blindly if she had the desire to try. With her hands in the pockets of her white trousers, Isabelle looked up. The sun filtered just perfectly through the leaves of the trees, not too much to make its glare too bright, nor too little to make it too dark to see. Isabelle loved the forest in the daytime.

"Miss! Miss! I need your help! You're a nurse, right? Oh please, miss!" A panicky voice called out, disrupting the silence and chasing away several of the forest Pokémon. A kid came running with a gagging, green worm in his arms. She recognised the worm as a Caterpie, a Pokémon quite perfect for a beginning trainer. However, she had rarely seen a Caterpie breathe that weirdly. It seemed as if it was dry-heaving or had something hot in its mouth.

"What happened to the little guy?" She immediately inquired as she knelt to take the Caterpie from the boy. As if it was in severe pain, it rolled its body up. Gently, with her fingers, she opened its mouth. It became clear the bug-type had been eating something that caused this reaction because it had not swallowed what remained in its mouth. It must have started to get stomach cramps somewhere during the second or third bite of whatever was bothering him so.

"What was it eating?" Isabelle asked next. The boy gave Izzy a red, warty berry with some bites taken out of it. The soft flesh matched the red residue in Caterpie's mouth. Isabelle looked up at the young trainer, sternly.

"Kid, this is a Spelon berry. One of the spiciest berries in existence. Did you not know that Caterpie hate spicy food? They usually only eat sweet berries. How come you did not know this?" The kid had the decency to look ashamed, making Isabelle sigh.

"Give it a lot of water to rinse and then go purchase a sweet berry back in Viridian. Feed it tiny bits. A few Pokéblocks tonight, and a normal portion tomorrow morning. Your Caterpie should be fine then, but do take it to Nurse Joy to be sure. And make sure this never happens again, okay? You need to know the taste preference of your Pokémon, too, to be a good trainer. It's not just remembering their attacks." With that, she gave the Caterpie back to the kid. "Nurse Joy, tomorrow morning. If the water and the sweet berry does not help, I want you to take your Caterpie in _today_. Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," He replied dutifully. "Thank you. It will not happen again." He bowed to her and took off on a dash only kids could do towards Viridian city. She felt a little bad for the boy but unfortunately this was part of growing up. These Pokémon depend on them and they ought to learn how to deal with that responsibility. However, Caterpie were very resilient and forgiving. They grow up quickly as well.

Taking inspiration from today, Isabelle prepared a blog post with Pokémon types and general berry preference, with a firm reminder to trainers to get to know their Pokémon for their personal taste. Hopefully someone found it useful.


	11. 011 Metapod

**#011 Metapod**

 _Metapod, the cocoon Pokémon. The evolved form of Caterpie. Its soft body is protected by a hard outer shell while it undergoes metamorphosis. While this shell is said to be as hard as steel, a sudden, powerful impact could cause its tender body to pop out, leaving it completely exposed. Metapod generally remains motionless, preparing its soft innards for evolution inside its hard shell. If Metapod is discovered by an enemy, it is unable to do anything other than harden its outer shell. Metapod lives in forests – Nurse Evergreen._

On days like these, Nurse Isabelle wondered who was happier she had become a travelling nurse: Nurse Joy or herself. After a quiet first month, the requests had started to pour in regarding rumours of sick or injured Pokémon, all sent in by local Nurses Joy. There were even requests of Pokémon that were just in the way, but those came from Officer Jenny. Isabelle sighed, smoothing her tied-down hair flat and pushing some stray locks away. It wasn't that she hated doing those requests; she loved the work. It was just that running errands felt silly. Wasn't moving those Pokémon the work of rangers?

Today's errands involved some Metapod. They had evolved just outside of Viridian Forest and now clung to trees near a frequently travelled road. Her job today was to move them to someplace safe nearby where they could evolve without danger.

The Metapod were easy to find. Their green colour contrasted nicely with the brown bark of the trees. Through the eastern part of Viridian forest led a less frequented part of the road, since many travellers trekked right through the forest, instead of around it. That was where she planned on taking them.

"All right, you guys. Come on out," Isabelle said, opening her two Pokéballs. Bulbasaur and Wartortle came out. Bulbasaur, as usual, was ecstatic to be out. He came close for a pet on his head and then ran on his stubby legs around them for some happy exercise. Wartortle was much calmer. The female water-type was, like Izzy, not fond of getting dirty and a bit vain, but she hadn't caused any trouble yet. While she wasn't tight buddies with the excitable grass-type, she did not seem to hate him either. She just was a little diva.

"Okay, you two. Today, we're moving these Metapod. They're in danger of getting trampled here." Isabelle explained where they would take them and emphasised that they must be handled carefully. She did not want any of them damaged, no matter the hardness of their shell.

They started with the low hanging ones because they could pluck them off themselves. The string of silk that kept them to the tree was easily cut. And so began a long day. All three of them plucked a Metapod and walked the way to the side road Isabelle had chosen for them, placing them a bit out of sight.

As they needed Bulbasaur's vines to pull down the higher ones, Isabelle reflected on how grateful she was neither of her Pokémon had become bored yet. That would have been a bad case scenario. Imagine them tossing the Metapod around as they were beach balls.

"You're doing great, you guys. I'm proud of you," Isabelle told them as they took an afternoon break, sitting on the grass near where they placed the Metapod. The Metapod took this mass moving silently, not even talking at all. It suited Izzy. This was much better than angry Metapod, even though they could not do much about it. As lunch, Isabelle gave her Pokémon a berry with the taste of their preference. They may be more expensive than normal Pokémon food, but her Pokémon deserved it for their hard work today.

Her Pokémon's personalities shone through in the way they ate. Like how Bulbasaur tackled life, he ate the berry with gusto, digging in as if it were the best thing he ever tasted or the last thing he would ever eat. Soon, his entire snout was covered with chunks of berry and its juice. Wartortle, on the other hand, sat up properly and took small bites of her berry, savouring every bite. Just as they were going back to work, Isabelle noticed that Bulbasaur's bulb has a blue-ish gleam. Curious.

The rest of the day went by faster. It seemed the Pokémon were quite tired of this dreary job and worked harder to get this done as quickly as possible. It only took two more hours for all Metapod to be brought to safety.

"Phew," Isabelle wiped her forehead. "Glad that's done. Let's go to Viridian Pokémon centre. You deserved a long sleep. Want to sleep in your ball or…" Surprised, Isabelle stopped talking as Bulbasaur lit up.

She did not need to guess what was happening. This light was one of the clearest tell-tale signs. Even Wartortle stood next to Izzy to watch, pretending not to be too interested. As they waited for Bulbasaur to be ready, the nurse laid a hand on Wartortle's head, smiling down at her affectionately.

It merely took a minute, but it felt much longer. When the light had subsided, Bulbasaur was gone. Instead, a slightly bigger grass-type stood on the exact spot where Bulbasaur had stood. Only his colouring was different, and the bulb had budded into a gorgeous pink bud. He even smelled different. From an earthy scent that reminded her of some healing herbs, he now smelled distinctly more flowery.

Bulbasaur had evolved into Ivysaur.


	12. 012 Butterfree

**#012 Butterfree**

 _Butterfree, the butterfly Pokémon. The final evolution of Caterpie and the evolved form of Metapod. Butterfree's wings are covered with poisonous powders that fall off continuously as it flies. This powder repels water, enabling it to gather honey even in the rain. Butterfree will roam up to six miles from its nest in search of honey, which it carries with the hairs of its legs. It also consumes sap from pierced trees. Butterfree is found in forests but has also been observed flying near the ocean as part of its migratory breeding pattern – Nurse Evergreen._

Merely a week later, Nurse Isabelle was called to Viridian City again. The town, once so calm and peaceful with children playing with their Caterpie and their parents watching over them as they took the opportunity to socialise, now laid barren. There was not a single person out on the street. All the doors were shut, and the windows were closed as if they feared something. The hospital and Pokémon centre were busy, though; Isabelle could see the activity and judged the visitors by the number of rooms lit up.

Route two, leading to Viridian forest, did not look much better. Some purplish sheen hung low over the ground. Isabelle deduced that it was a residue of poisonous powder or fog. One that probably caused the town to be a ghost town. Staring at this scene, Isabelle found Officer Jenny with a mouth cap.

"Let me guess. The Metapod evolved?" Isabelle asked, causing Officer Jenny to nod. "How many were taken ill by their toxic dust?"

"All the children and their Pokémon," came the muffled reply. Izzy wasn't surprised. Butterfree were gorgeous Pokémon, being basically huge butterflies. However, their wings scattered poisonous dust, making them a bit tricky to handle. It was their way of protecting themselves against other Pokémon. One Butterfree was harmless but dozens of them was an entirely different story.

"Shall we chase them off to Viridian Forest?" Isabelle suggested.

"We?" Jenny asked, looking around them. "I'm not going,"

"My Pokémon and I," Isabelle said with an annoyed sigh, releasing her Ivysaur and her Wartortle. The nurse had already briefed them last night when they were near Viridian again. But just to be sure, Izzy had stocked up on antidotes.

Chasing away Butterfree was only slightly more entertaining than moving Metapod was. These butterflies were not challenging at all to the Pokémon of the young nurse. With Wartortle's water gun and Ivysaur's vines, the nurse's Pokémon did not come close enough to get poisoned by the butterflies. However, with the whole lot of them, the air was poisonous as well. Not for the first time that day, Isabelle found herself wishing she had a flying-type Pokémon to get rid of this poisonous fog.

Getting rid of the Butterfree was the easy part. When they had finally left for Viridian Forest, bullied away by water and vines, Isabelle's Pokémon collapsed on the ground. Walking towards them, feeling quite dizzy herself, Izzy gathered the heavy Ivysaur in her arms and told Wartortle to hold onto her back, or to her braid if she must. Like that, they staggered away from Route two to the city in which the fog was thinning already. There, Isabelle administered the antidote to both her Pokémon and headed with them to the Pokémon centre.

At the Pokémon centre, it did not matter that Nurse Joy was busy with poisoned Caterpie and other beginner's Pokémon. Isabelle could take care of her own Pokémon, and so she was assigned a spare treating room for them. Hooking them on oxygen, she could tell that her Pokémon would be fine once the antidote had cleared away all poison in their bodies. Izzy sighed as she felt how feverish she was herself. She didn't like the poisonous types. They were a lot of effort to treat with a lot of consequences for the one treating them. Additionally, she's had some bad experiences with them and preferred not to work with them at all.

Despite being sick, Isabelle watched over her Pokémon all night and only when she was sure they were healthy again did she call them back to their balls and headed up to go to bed herself. Pokémon would always come first for her.


	13. 013 Weedle

**#013 Weedle**

 _Weedle, the hairy bug Pokémon. Weedle can retaliate against attackers and those who step on it with its strong toxin. It can distinguish its favourite kinds of leaves using its acute sense of smell. As a young Bug Pokémon, its daily appetite for leaves matches its weight. Weedle can be found in forests and usually hides in grass, bushes, and under the leaves it eats - Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle had some fond and at the same time terrible memories of the Pokémon Weedle. The first time Izzy worked with a Weedle was at Nursing school. Here, an elderly Joy taught the next generation Joys and whoever wished to become a nurse how to be one. The Joys are incredibly good at what they do. It felt like as if the daughters of the Joy family were born to become nurses. Isabelle sometimes thought it to be a bit sad. Imagine the pressure. What if one of them did not want to be a nurse?

At Nursing school, Isabelle had become good friends with a girl called Wendy Foxglove. Together with Wendy, they were the only non-Joys in her class of ten and so they stuck together. Wendy was a sweet girl with a submissive personality. Whenever something looked bad or someone was angry with her, she flinched and retreated inwards to protect herself. And so, Isabelle protected her.

Something Wendy was very good at was getting Pokémon to trust her. No matter what Pokémon they were dealing with, as soon as she touched them, they relaxed. Or so it seemed to her back then, at least. Izzy had been quite jealous of that and tried her best develop such a gift herself. It had taken a long time for her to see that forcing to become what she was not only agitated the Pokémon she was treating. Only after she had learnt this and became confident in her own ability and skills of treating Pokémon, did she become truly good at it.

One of the first lessons on bug Pokémon, they worked on a Weedle alone. Every girl had her own Weedle and it needed to be bandaged. Unlike Caterpie, Weedle did not lay still one moment. Within mere minutes, every girl was agitated because of the wiggling worms. Some even had boils on their hands from being stung by either the venomous horn or stinger.

Isabelle was struggling as well. Getting some bandage around a worm wasn't hard, but the tiny little feet shouldn't be covered or else the Weedle couldn't move anymore. So, they had to be quite precise with it, too. Weedle, she suspected, was having too much fun. Whenever a bit was going well, it did a barrel roll to undo it all. But when Izzy placed one hand on its body to hold it down, its tail swung up to sting her harshly. The head did the same whenever she tried to hold down the tail. Holding her painful hand, Izzy realised she either needed to subdue this worm or needed someone to help her.

In the front of the class, the elderly Joy was having a great time. Seeing young nurses struggle and seeing them realise being a nurse isn't only cuddling with the cute Pokémon seemed to be amusing to her.

Eventually, with blisters and boils all over her hands and lower arms, Isabelle finished last, not counting the Joy whose Weedle had slithered away and was nowhere to be found. Despite being last, she managed and, therefore, passed the class, making Isabelle feel proud. Any Pokémon vaguely poisonous or venomous was no favourite of hers.

Later that day, Wendy sat next to her as Izzy was having her boils treated by the elderly Joy, whose pink hair had lost its shine and had begun to go grey. "Try being kind to them. You're really kind, Izz. Just be yourself to the Pokémon. They'll feel it," Wendy said in her usual soft voice. Not for the first time, Izzy noticed that the pink shade of the uniform contrasted beautifully against Wendy's dark skin, unlike her own pale one, which made her look like a piglet.

If she could, Isabelle would run a hand through her hair in frustration, but both were pinned down, under treatment.

"It's so hard. Why can't they see I am trying to help and just stay still?" Isabelle complained a little, grumpy from the searing pain in her hands.

The elderly Joy spoke up. "Because they're upset. You're upset now too and don't stay perfectly still either, even though you know I am trying to help. Try to imagine what they're feeling. Pokémon merely in pain are easy to treat. But they can be afraid, confused, angry, or sad. And that affects the way you must treat them. Keep that in mind, ladies."

This lesson proved itself true once again on the day she treated the confused Charizard, the one with the cut in its paw. Wherever the elderly Joy had gone after she passed away, Isabelle hoped that she watched over her and that she was proud of her student. If not, she hoped her mentor at least had a good laugh at her student's trials. She so loved to laugh.


	14. 014 Kakuna

**#014 Kakuna**

 _Kakuna, the cocoon Pokémon. The evolved form of Weedle. When it comes close to evolving, its body gives off heat that makes it warm to touch. Kakuna remains virtually immobile and waits for evolution often hanging from tree branches by long strands of silk. When attacked, however, it can extend its poison barbs. Kakuna nests in forests and misty wooded areas. Occasionally, it will also nest at the mouths of tunnels and caves - Nurse Evergreen._

Even nurses deserved a day off, occasionally. At least, that's what Nurse Isabelle told herself. When no emergency calls have been made and no wild Pokémon seem to be in trouble, Isabelle took the rare free time to relax. As was the custom, Ivysaur and Wartortle were released from their Pokéballs. After all, why would she keep her closest companions locked up while she could take some time off?

There was a tiny stream nearby. Not deep enough to bathe in, but Wartortle enjoyed herself none the less. The water seemed to be pure and so, sitting on a rock in the sunlight, the vain turtle began washing and grooming herself, taking extra good care of her gorgeous tail. With the sunlight shining off her polished shell, Wartortle looked so beautiful that Isabelle could not resist taking a photo of her to post on her blog later.

Ivysaur, on the other hand, stayed close to Isabelle. Sitting cross-legged with Ivysaur on her lap with his eyes closed in bliss, Izzy searched through her Pokédex for more information on Ivysaur, as she scratched his head absentmindedly. The leathery touch of his skin was smooth to the touch, no longer as dry as it had been when she adopted her starter. She had a vague memory that her grass-type starter could learn something around this stage.

"Aha! Take down!" Isabelle exclaimed triumphantly. Ivysaur merely opened one eye at the noise.

"Let's learn take down, Ivy. That should be useful to be able to take down a Pokémon after you put it to sleep. Some remain standing, you see? Come on, silly sleepy head! We'll nap later, okay?" Isabelle lifted him a tiny bit off her lap and put him back down again, just to coax him into action.

Reluctantly, Ivysaur stood up from her lap, allowing the young nurse to get up as well, but before doing so, Isabelle rubbed her Pokémon over the belly, affectionately.

As Izzy and Ivysaur searched for a proper target to practice on, Wartortle merely glanced at them before continuing what she was doing. Isabelle didn't mind as long as her water-type Pokémon did not run into trouble. She would work on Wartortle's moves another day.

Just a bit further was a massive apple tree. The apples were big and red and looked juicy. Isabelle really wanted one.

"Let's try to get those, shall we, Ivysaur? Take down is basically a harder tackle. Rather than bumping into your opponent, you try to take it down to the ground with you. You may receive some recoil so let's not try it too often, okay? I don't want you to get hurt. Ready, Ivysaur? All right. Try to take down that apple tree!" Isabelle called out the last part, pointing at the tree she wished her Pokémon to attack.

Eagerly, Ivysaur dashed towards it, charging at full speed. As he bashed against the tree, Izzy was happy the Bulbasaur line had tough skulls, because it sounded a tad painful. They were rewarded with a load of apples that came crashing down, perfectly ripe and edible.

Proudly, Ivysaur took one of the apples in his maw and ran towards his trainer, fully expecting her to be happy with him for successfully getting them some apples. But instead of pride, horror was to be seen on Isabelle's face.

This horror was caused by what else had shaken loose by the attach on the tree. Several cocoons slid and fell from the tree, laying on the ground among the apples. They were not green like the harmless Metapod. These were beige and, therefore, they were Kakuna. To make matters worse, one of the Kakuna had cracked from which some light shone, signalling an evolution.

"Nope. Nope. We're out of here," Isabelle decided. Without explaining herself, she recalled her Pokémon to their balls, grabbed her backpack and ran as fast as she could. Because the evolved form of Kakuna were known to attack humans and Pokémon with the slightest cause and disturbing their tree and young ones was reason enough.

Isabelle did not look over her shoulder to see if she was being followed. She ran to Viridian city as fast as she could, not resting until she was in the Pokémon centre. Panting, she stopped there against the counter. One did not even have time to get fat and lazy around here, living among Pokémon. Bursting a giggle, she greeted the startled Joy on duty – a short little girl with even shorter hair – and asked for a room.


	15. 015 Beedrill

**#015 Beedrill**

 _Beedrill, the poison bee Pokémon. The final evolution of Weedle and the evolved form of Kakuna. Beedrill is highly territorial and usually lives in colonies. Beedrill seems to be especially concerned with the welfare of Weedle and Kakuna, and it will respond aggressively to those that disturb them. Disturbing a swarm of Beedrill will cause the whole colony to attack. It flies at high speed and attacks using the large venomous stingers on its forelegs and abdomen. The two stingers on its forelimbs allow it to use its signature attack, commonly called twin-needle. It will take the victims of its attacks back to its nest for food. Beedrill nests in forests and misty wooded areas – Nurse Evergeen._

Clutching a cup of tea, Isabelle watched the sunrise after an intense twenty-four hours. The tea in her mug had gone cold, but the nurse did not notice. Ivysaur laid on her lap, making soft sounds to beg his trainer to touch him. He seemed worried for the curly blonde and would stay with Izzy until she felt better. Putting her cold tea aside, Isabelle wrapped her arms around the bulky grass-type and held him as she relived the previous day.

Nurse Isabelle's journeys had brought her all over Kanto. A day that Izzy remembered clearly was in Kanto's northernmost city, Pewter. The city of the rock-type Pokémon and people. Everyone who lived there were as hard as their Pokémon. Honest and hardworking. Isabelle was fond of them and their way of living.

Having arrived there late at night the previous day, Isabelle only had some time to look around town when the sun rose again. However, as she descended the stairs from the guest area, an air of panic could be felt in the Pewter city Pokémon centre. Jogging towards the emergency room, she found the Nurse Joy on duty standing over a peculiarly shaped form.

"Joy, what's going on?" Isabelle asked as she entered the emergency room. The advantage of being a nurse was that she could simply barge in and offer her assistance.

"A Beedrill. He has been frozen!" Joy told her, her voice filled with concern. And indeed, in the ice block on the treatment table, the poison bee Pokémon could be seen.

"How is that possible? Ice-type Pokémon are incredibly rare in Kanto," Isabelle said. "I don't think many have the ability to learn any moves that allow them to create an ice block of this size. Beedrill are huge, about the size of my Wartortle! This does not seem like an accident."

"We can only guess," Joy said, running a hand through her loose hair. "Right now, we need to thaw this bug. The problem is, because ice-types are so rare, we do not have any medicine that could help us since we have never needed them. Of course, I have sent for them to be collected but that might take days before it arrives here. I need your help. We need to try to thaw it manually. It's Beedrill's only chance."

Like that, with the heater up high, the two nurses worked hard to thaw the ice around the bug-type Pokémon. Isabelle did not own any fire-types and Joy didn't even have any Pokémon of her own yet. They could not rub him warm as its wings are fragile and its body is not meant to be rubbed. All they could do was point their personal hairdryers at the block of ice, careful not to cause any burns.

And so, without thawing medicine or any berries that would give the same effect, it was looking dire for Beedrill. Till long past the sun had set again, the ladies worked on thawing out the yellow and black coloured Pokémon, only taking a tiny break to eat something, brought by an apprentice at the centre that Isabelle did not know, nor particularly cared to introduce herself to in this situation.

Past midnight, Beedrill had escaped the block of ice and its temperature was reasonably normal but still, the wasp did not move. Daring to get close to the territorial Pokémon, Isabelle listened for a heartbeat, fearing the worst. And indeed, there was no heartbeat, just as Izzy feared.

With shaking hands, Nurse Isabelle woke Joy, who had slumped in the corner of the emergency room.

"Joy, Beedrill is dead. His heart has stopped." Her voice did not shake as she said it, seemingly calm. On the inside, she cried for the poor bug Pokémon.

A little nudge against her stomach brought Isabelle back to the present again. The sun had well risen by now and her tea had gone gold.

"Hey, honey. Did I zone out on you? I'm sorry." Her voice was soft, soothing. Despite her pain due to her failure, her love for her starter had not disappeared. "Come on, let's go get some breakfast. I saw a café on my way into this town that bragged the best waffles this size of Mt Moon. Let's test that, shall we?"

Ivysaur's excited grunt made her smile and feel a bit better.


	16. 016 Pidgey

**#016 Pidgey**

 _Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokémon. Pidgey has an extremely sharp sense of direction and homing instincts. It can locate its nest even when far removed from familiar surroundings. It is a docile Pokémon, and generally prefers to flee from its enemies rather than fight them. By flapping its wings rapidly, it can whip up dust clouds and create whirlwinds to protect itself and flush out potential prey. Pidgey is very common throughout its range and can often be seen in meadows and forests – Nurse Evergreen._

Sometimes, Nurse Isabelle did not find the Pokémon in need. Sometimes, they found her.

Coming from Cerulean city, Isabelle found herself on route 24, walking a gorgeous wooden bridge over a river. This path would lead to the sea, where she would visit Bill the Pokémon researcher. He was always interested in what she did and what she encountered on her journey. Her first contact with him was through an email she received in response to one of her blog posts. What followed was a sporadic but intellectually driven discussion on some of the anomalies encountered with what was previously known. Whenever Isabelle was nearby, she'd visit the hermit. Though socially inept, the guy meant well and treated her fine.

Her thoughts of what she would tell Bill about Ivysaur's evolution were interrupted by something falling and landing heavily on the wooden bridge with a painful sounding 'thump' in front of her.

Jogging towards the fallen object, Isabelle could see it was a bird. A nearly unconscious one. Cradling it carefully in her hands, she saw the Pidgey's wing was broken, possibly from the fall but an attack was not unthinkable either. However, as Isabelle looked up, all she could see was the calm sky after the storm from last night.

"Pooh," it softly cooed, opening its eyes briefly before shutting them again. It was obviously exhausted. What was most striking about the bird was the little cap on its head and the cylinder on its back. This was obviously a mail-Pidgey.

Bill would have to wait, Isabelle decided, turning around to return the way she came, back to Cerulean city and its Pokémon centre. As she walked the route she had previously admired for its beauty, she reflected on how she loved these birds. Being docile, they were popular with young kids, but anyone could raise them. She'd never had the opportunity to work with one for an extended time, unfortunately.

At the Cerulean city Pokémon centre, an adult man was at the desk, inquiring about something. He seemed quite agitated from the volume of his voice and the way he used his hands to gesture.

"Have you seen my Ace? Have you seen him?!" The loud, booming voice echoed through the lobby.

Without much success, Nurse Joy tried to calm him down. He could not be soothed and refused to step down. "Some nurse you are! I know you have him! You're hiding him from me, aren't you, you dumb little-"

"Excuse me!" Isabelle shouted from behind him, interrupting whichever insult he was about to toss at her colleague. She held up the injured bird. "Is this your bird? I'm taking him in for treatment." To the nurse on duty, she said, much gentler, "Hey Irina. Is the photo room available? I think this poor little guy's wing is broken." The man was completely ignored, which seemed to fuel the flames of his anger.

"That's my Ace! What have you done to him, you bitch?" He made a grab for the injured bird. Furious, Isabelle pulled the bird out of his reach, cradling it against her chest.

"Woah! Calm down, you! I found the Pidgey when it fell from the air. I didn't do anything to it so calm down! Irina, the stretcher? Oh, there it is. Thank you," she said, laying the bird down on the it and watching the poor bird being rushed away. Only then did she turn to the man who was fuming at this point in anger and helplessness that his Pidgey was carried away, though he may seem to realise it was safe in the Pokémon Centre. Then again, Isabelle wasn't sure if he had any reasonable bone in his body right now.

"How dare you talk to me like that?" Isabelle demanded to know, placing her hands on her hips. She may have been shorter than him, but she's had many great role models in her life how to make her stand as a professional, who knew more about healthcare than any trainer. "How dare you jump to conclusions without even pausing to ask what's going on? First you are rude to my colleague, who has done nothing to deserve such a treatment, and then to me? Go home and return when you're calm, or send someone else who can identify ownership over this mail-Pidgey. Pidgey won't be going home anytime today, so return tomorrow morning at the earliest."

To her surprise, he nodded, turned around, and left. Joy behind the counter sighed in relief. Isabelle had to smile at her.

"Sometimes, you have to be firm with them."

"Oh, don't I know it, sister. He just overwhelmed me."

"Good thing we never stand alone then, hm?"

The following morning, the man returned and calmly asked to see his Pidgey called Ace. He did not mention the previous day and that was fine with Irina Joy. Showing the contract of the Mail Carrier Service, Ace was identified and returned with the man with his wing bandaged yet awake and looking much better than he did before.

Isabelle had an uncomfortable feeling about this man and had called the police station to issue a warning of potential negligent behaviour. The one taking her call filed her call seriously – one of the advantages of her profession – and a check-up will be scheduled soon to check the health of the local Mail Carrier Service's Pokémon.


	17. 017 Pidgeotto

**#017 Pidgeotto**

 _Pidgeotto, the bird Pokémon. The evolved form of Pidgey. Pidgeotto is a powerful flier capable of carrying prey several miles to its nest. It has amazing vision, which helps it locate preferred prey Pokémon. It has been seen preying on Caterpie, among other bugs. Pidgeotto claims a sprawling territory of almost 100 kilometre, which it defends fiercely. Its nest is usually in the centre of its territory and it circles its territory throughout the day, looking out for food and intruders. It is most often found in forests – Nurse Evergreen._

After a satisfying training session between Ivysaur and Wartortle with only physical attacks such as tackle, Nurse Isabelle rewarded her Pokémon by brushing them by hand. Ivysaur was easily satisfied and did not need a lot of grooming. He soon took off to nap in the sun, but Isabelle was quite busy by brushing Wartortle's tail just right. She didn't mind; if her water type wished to be concerned about her hygiene, then that's okay with her.

Against a tree stood her backpack, in which a lot of medicine and healing berries were stored, along with personal items such as ribbons to tie her braid with.

On the exact moment Izzy decided she finished brushing Wartortle's tail, something swooped by and snatched her bag from underneath the tree, flying off with the rather heavy backpack.

"Hey!" Isabelle screamed, indignant, which woke up Ivysaur from his sun-soaked nap and caused Wartortle give a startled shriek. Izzy leaped up, accidentally dislodging her well-groomed turtle. "There goes our food! Get that bird!"

Ivysaur, bless him, immediately jumped up and started chasing the thieving flying Pokémon. Even Wartortle ran after them, not wishing to be left behind, probably. Like that, the three of them dashed after the bird that was stealing the backpack.

"Wartortle, water gun. Ivysaur, razor leaf!" Isabelle commanded. Her Pokémon may not be in their best shape as fighting Pokémon but weighed down by the bag, the bird should make an easy target if it didn't get too far away.

Eventually, it was Wartortle who managed to bring it down with a well-aimed bubble attack. The bird crashed down, dropping her bag to cushion its fall, and turned around, ready to fight. Upon closer inspection, Isabelle saw it was a Pidgeotto, less polished and groomed than the ones she had seen under the care of trainers. This was surprising because Pidgeotto usually weren't strong enough to carry such a bag, but this one apparently was. Fascinating.

"Wartortle, bite! Ivysaur, stand by to get my bag back with your vines." Isabelle ordered. The bite went great, due to Wartortle's turtle beak, but Pidgeotto retaliated with a swift peck to the skull, which hurt Wartortle and caused her to let go. While those two fought, Ivysaur reeled her bag in, getting what they came for. Now, it was obvious that the Pidgeotto must be defeated because it did not seem that he was about to give up.

"Wartortle, rapid spin!" That landed a nice hit. Bashing into the bird at full speed while withdrawn in her rotating shield, her water type managed to slam the bird against a nearby tree, where it slumped down, dazed.

Wasting no time, Isabelle chucked a Pokéball towards it to catch such an extraordinary Pidgeotto. And indeed, after a few tense wiggles, Pidgeotto gave up the struggle and allowed himself to be caught

"All right! Good job, Ivysaur, but especially well done, Wartortle. You did great!" Isabelle cheered.

After patching up Wartortle, who had a slightly bleeding wound on her head, Isabelle let out Pidgeotto from his ball to introduce herself and have him meet the team.

"All right, Pidgeotto. Firstly, no more stealing. Understood?" The bird cooed at her, seriously. It made her wonder why the bird stole the bag in the first place. Was getting caught his intention all along?

"I am Isabelle. I am a travelling Pokémon nurse. These are Ivysaur and Wartortle. We're a team from now on and I expect you to get along. Your duties as a member of this team involve listening to me whenever I command you to do something and occasionally parcel service. Only when we work as a team can we help Pokémon in need. Okay?" Ivysaur, Wartortle, and Pidgeotto nodded. "All right! Welcome to the team, Pidgeotto."

All Pokémon cheered, although Wartortle lacked some enthusiasm from her sore head and annoyance at being hurt by the bird. With her phone, Isabelle took a selfie with the four of them, to send it to her mother and share it on her blog. A new team member was surely worth celebrating and Izzy looked forward to studying this bird more closely to find out more about this bird's extraordinary strength. Would his offspring have similar strength? Did his environment shape him such? Or was this a result of his personality? The young nurse couldn't wait to find out and share her findings with the Pokémon researchers, most importantly, Professor Oak.


	18. 018 Pidgeot

**#018 Pidgeot**

 _Pidgeot, the bird Pokémon. The final evolution of Pidgey and the evolved form of Pidgeotto. Its powerful wings can stir up dust storms in just a few flaps, and it may spread its wings to intimidate enemies. This Pokémon can fly faster than the speed of sound. Its plumage is often described as beautiful, making it a popular choice for skilled trainers. Pidgeot typically dwells in forests with thick growth and large trees. It is known to prey on fish, which it can spot from great heights – Nurse Evergreen._

Because of the forceful manner Pidgeotto was captured with, Nurse Isabelle announced a training afternoon. So while Ivysaur napped again - he could be so lazy - and Wartortle refused to come out of her ball today, Isabelle was trying to bond with the bold bird, seeing what he could do. She had him fly a set course and tested his speed, using a stopwatch and some notes on species average. She tested how much he could carry and, impressively, he could carry her weight. Not for a very long time but enough to get her out of a dangerous situation. His tackle hit harder than Ivysaur's as he had a speed advantage that made up for the lack of weight. All in all, a very good Pokémon and an even more interesting find.

After testing his speed and attack power, Isabelle decided that he was skilled enough to learn aerial ace. Finding thick branches, Isabelle swung them up for Pidgeotto to cut through with the move. The speed should fortify his wing enough to break the branches. They worked together like that, until, in the early part of the afternoon, a shadow passed over the two of them. Since the sky was clear, Isabelle looked up to see what might have caused this shadow. A massive bird flew over them and landed not far away, revealing it had a rider. The man dismounted the bird and together, they approached Isabelle, Pidgeotto, and the dozing Ivysaur, who had not woken once despite the noise she and Pidgeotto had made.

The large bird was a Pidgeot, the evolved form of Pidgeotto. It was gorgeous with its colourful feathers, groomed and glossy with health. The man didn't look bad either, Isabelle noted with some interest. He was taller than Isabelle and had a broad frame. He seemed in great control of his body since he did not move sluggish at all. He wore a simple white shirt and black trousers. Nothing too fancy but convenient for travelling. His face was framed by a dark, trimmed beard. Not bad at all. Pidgeotto descended in front of her, not trusting the stranger much

"Hello there! I couldn't help seeing you and your Pidgeotto," he started with a sheepish smile, as if only just realising that approaching a lady during training might not be the best idea. "Do you mind if we join you? I could use a small break from flying." His bashful smile worked contagiously, and Isabelle found herself inviting him over and introducing him to Pidgeotto and Ivysaur, who was still sleeping. One would expect Isabelle worked him too hard from the number of naps he took.

"Nice to meet you, the three of you. I'm Dominic and this is a Pidgeot I rented to get from Celadon City to Cinnabar Island." He gestured to the large bird who preened with pride at the importance of its job. Pidgeotto raised his scruffy feathers in protest, as if to prove he was just as important. Having gotten in a lot of fights before joining Izzy, his feathers weren't in as perfect of a state as Pidgeot's.

As Dominic and Isabelle sat down next to the sleeping Ivysaur, with Izzy petting the grass type, Isabelle talked about her job as a travelling nurse. Dominic seemed enthusiastic about it, so Izzy told him about Charmeleon and where she is now. The smile on his face warmed her heart.

"That's amazing, for her to find someone to take care of her like that. I currently have no Pokémon on me. Mine is still at home, because a thunderstorm would pass over there in my absence and she wishes to be there when it happens. She loves thunder." That made Isabelle smile at him.

"I have a job here, you see? I'm a ranger, and there was this report of a Pokémon in trouble…" The passion with which he spoke of the case he took near her hometown sealed the deal for her; she wanted to see him again. He seemed to share her passion for helping Pokémon, in his own way.

Pidgeotto and Pidgeot were playing in a peculiar manner. It seemed they were trying to outdo each other, which was a tad unfair since Pidgeotto wasn't fully evolved yet. But despite this, Pidgeotto seemed to be able to keep up pretty well to Pidgeot, only losing on the speed department. He will be an amazing Pidgeot when it is his time to evolve.

Next to her, Dominic looked at his watch and saw the time. He kissed her hand and rose from the grass. "I am terribly sorry, miss nurse, but I must go to be in Cinnabar before the sun sets, and I have a long flight still ahead of me I hope to see you again." He gave her a little wave, headed over to Pidgeot and took off.

Staring after him, Isabelle stood facing the direction he went long after he was gone. In her hand, the one he had kissed, she found a note with his phone number on it, which she clasped tightly against her in fear of losing it. Ivysaur found her like that, confused to what he missed.


	19. 019 Rattata

**#019 Rattata**

 _Rattata, the mouse Pokémon._ _Rattata can live wherever it can find food, which it searches for most of the day. Thanks to its sharp fangs, it is able to eat nearly anything. Its hardiness lets it live in many environments, although it mainly lives on plains and savannas. Because it reproduces so quickly, a pair of Rattata can quickly colonize an area. When it is threatened, Rattata can deliver a powerful bite – Nurse Evergreen._

"Isabelle! Psssst! Wake up!" A whispered voice woke the aspiring nurse up. She was disorientated for a moment; having dreamt she flew a Charizard in a journey around the world. When she opened her eyes, she was still in her bed in her dorm room of the nursing school. Her friend and classmate, Wendy Foxglove, knelt in front of her bed. "Oh good, you're awake."

"Hm? What time is it?" Isabelle mumbled sleepily, rubbing her green eyes. Her hair was loose, not braided at night, and the waist-long curls laid spread out on her pillow, shimmering a little in the moonlight.

"About 2, but Isa, I need your help." Only Wendy called her Isa. To everyone else, she was Miss Evergreen, Isabelle, or Izzy. With a groan, Isabelle sat up in bed, not entirely awake yet.

"I did a thing…" Wendy began, twirling a strand of her curly hair in her slender fingers, causing Izzy to narrow her eyes.

"What did you do, Wendy?" Isabelle sat up straighter to prevent falling asleep again.

"I … ehm … I took in a nest of mice," she stammered, fiddling with the front of her sleeping shirt now, looking down at her feet.

"Mice? What kind?" Isabelle asked urgently, in a whisper. "Where?"

"Rattata. In our room," was the reply.

"In our …? Oh goodness, Wendy…" Isabelle ran a hand through her hair.

"They were scared and hungry! They were so young; one had just hatched from the egg. I could not leave them. Their mother was nowhere to be found, not a single trace. And believe me, I looked!" Large brown eyes filled with tears. "I've had them for over a month now"

"Okay, okay. Don't cry, Wendy. But they have to go. You need to return them to the wild before they're too old and before Nurse Joy finds out. A month is a long time." To Isabelle's surprise, Wendy nodded.

"Alright," Wendy admitted with not entirely sincere reluctance. "Actually, I hoped you would say that, as I have them ready right now."

"Now? Right now? Goodness, that's why you woke me, isn't it?" She sighed and looked around for her shoes and her coat. Wendy was already dressed and stood ready with a large basket from which some muffled squeaking came.

Barely dressed, the two girls sneaked out of the dorm room and made their way outside. Despite there being a curfew, no one was in the hallways to check on them. The Pokémon guarding them were fond of Wendy and did not stop her.

At a patch of tall grass outside of the school's gardens, Wendy knelt and took one of the Rattata out of the basket with trembling hands. The girl had yet again tears in her eyes, Izzy saw as she looked at her, causing her to sigh at her softness.

"Come on, Wen, do it. We don't have all night. They might remember you and come back to play." That was encouragement enough for the sensitive girl. One by one, Wendy pulled them out of the basket and put them down near the tall grass. Following their instincts, the Rattata dashed away right when their paws touched the ground. In less than a couple minutes, all three of them were gone.

"Well done, Wendy," Isabelle merely said, wrapping her arms around the shivering girl. Her brown skin felt cool to the touch; she's been out here long before she woke her roommate. "They're able to defend themselves. They'll be fine. You saved them from starvation when they were younger, but it's time for them to go now."

They stared out over the tall grass until the rustling of skittering Pokémon stopped.

"They are the one who stole my cookies, weren't they?"

Wendy gave a sniffly nod, causing Izzy to sigh.

"They were my favourite, too. I can't believe you managed to hide these from me. That takes some skill, girl."

That made Wendy finally giggle. "You think? If you didn't spend so much time on that laptop of yours, posting and responding to photos, you might have noticed sooner."

"Ouch, but undoubtedly true. Let's go back. I'm freezing, tired, and not looking forward to getting up early tomorrow for that test on paralysis."

"Good plan," Wendy agreed and together they headed back to bed. They did not notice a light on the second floor, nor the silhouette of a woman watching them, shaking her head.


	20. 020 Raticate

**#020 Raticate**

 _Raticate, the mouse Pokémon. The evolved form of Rattata. If attacked, Raticate stands up on its hind legs, bares its fangs and shrieks in an intimidating manner at its enemy. It is willing to take on larger foes if provoked enough. It often needs to gnaw on something, like rocks and logs, but it may even chew on the wall of houses and is capable of chewing cinder walls and topple concrete buildings. This Pokémon typically lives in plains and savannas – Nurse Evergreen._

There was a rat where it should not be. That was Nurse Isabelle's first reaction when she heard about the problem at hand. A Raticate had crossed the water in his search for something to chew on, Izzy assumed, and ended up in the power plant. From the owners of the power plant, she heard the news about an agitated Pokémon in the building. They used Pokémon to run this place, after all, and the Raticate was causing a disturbance. The rangers were all busy investigating reports of missing Pokémon being possibly kidnapped, so Nurse Isabelle was the next best thing, or so she was told.

Arriving at the highly electric venue, Isabelle easily found where the Raticate let himself in; there was a hole in the wall with teeth marks everywhere. Sighing, Isabelle opened the front door of the power plant with the key card she borrowed. All employees had left the building due to the danger of potential electrocution with so many live wires. Once the Raticate was gone, the engineers would come in to fix the damages.

For some reason, the Power Plant always gave Izzy the creeps. The building had been abandoned many years ago and many electric Pokémon were now living here. Even though the plant was in business once again, the Pokémon had not left. There had been an article mentioning that the owners tried to make a deal with the resident Pokémon, offering them food and shelter in exchange for work in the plant.

As it was just her and Pidgeotto today, Isabelle hoped to not encounter any of the Pokémon; she worried they were agitated due to the intruder, even though a Raticate should not be a problem to any of the Pokémon here.

Walking as silently as she could, she followed the path of destruction left by the Raticate. Chewed on beams, scratched metal. It apparently tried to gnaw on everything.

At the other end of the massive main hall, she found the mouse Pokémon. It was curled up on the ground, twitching as if electrocuted. Finding a chewed-on cable nearby that sparked ominously, Isabelle decided that electrocution was exactly what had happened. What was also noticeable was the state of his teeth; they were longer than they should be, which might be an indication why it had been so desperate to find something to chew on.

"Come on, you little troublemaker. Let's get you out of here." Wrapping her arms around the paralysed rat, she heaved it up from the ground. It was a tad heavy but nothing she couldn't handle. Her backpack had been this weight on more days than she liked to admit.

Pidgeotto was waiting outside with a makeshift stretcher to carry the Raticate to the nearest Pokémon centre. She had loved to take the bird inside but with the potential live wires, it would not have been a wise decision of her.

However, just as Isabelle exited the power plant through the front door, the Raticate seemed to be revived again and bit down hard on her arm. Crying out, she dropped the rat on the ground, clutching her sore arm.

"Oh, you ungrateful little…" She bit back a curse as the mouse Pokémon dashed away, out of sight, away from the power plant. Apparently, it wasn't too defeated, after all. "Hardy little thing, isn't it? I get why it's so popular with young trainers."

Stroking the red spot that most definitely would bruise hard, Isabelle walked back to the worried Pidgeotto.

"It apparently doesn't want to be treated. His loss. Let's go, Pidgeotto." She stroked his head, undid the stretcher and let her bird fly with her as she left the site of the power plant, after looking behind her once more and muttering an insult to the biting rat. This mission didn't go as she had hoped it would, but it was still a success, she supposed. Time to call the owners and report her findings. Maybe the reward money would cover a spa day.


	21. 021 Spearow

**#021 Spearow**

 _Spearow, the tiny bird Pokémon. Although inept at other aspects of its flying, such as height and distance, Spearow is still capable of flying quickly to protect its territory. However, it must flap its wings at high speeds to stay aloft. Spearow's loud shrieks can be heard over half a mile away and are used to warn other of its kind of danger. Spearow sees in black and white and will chase its foes in a large flock. Spearow is usually found in desolate wastelands and fields, where it hunts for insects – Nurse Evergreen._

While travelling, it is important to take good care of yourself. So, whenever she had the chance, Nurse Isabelle would have a proper lunch and a good rest before she would continue her day. Occasionally, she found a designated picnic area with trash bins, a lot of tables to sit on, an outhouse, and a tap for fresh water. As Isabelle arrived at such stop, she saw a couple with young children sitting at one of the tables.

"Hey there, good afternoon. Do you mind if I let my Pokémon out?" Isabelle asked, just to be sure. The parents said they did not mind at all, but only if the nurse didn't mind her Pokémon being petted. Since that was okay with Izzy, she released Ivysaur, Wartortle, and Pidgeotto.

While she prepared three bowls of food for her Pokémon, the young children approached them. Ivysaur sat up straight, trying to look his best and cutest, which wasn't the easiest thing to accomplish as his bulb reached to her waist by now. He had grown a lot since Isabelle took him with her.

The youngest of the two girls fell for his charms and was petting his green head. The boy, however, was totally impressed by Pidgeotto and his coolness. He would squeal and applaud whenever the bird Pokémon did a flying trick. The most surprising attention spent was by the eldest girl, and eldest child of the three, to Wartortle. Whispering in awe how pretty the turtle was, the girl came closer. Wartortle seemed pleased in that diva way of hers that someone finally appreciated her beauty and let herself be admired and petted. Her tail was especially a huge success since Wartortle had taken excellent care of it. It was silky soft and shone like silver.

Smiling, Isabelle turned her attention back to the food, confident that neither her Pokémon nor the children would be harmed.

Screaming, however, was cause for Izzy to turn around. It was the father who had cried out, and the mother swiftly gathered their children. Within a minute, the family left the picnic place, running. Pidgeotto looked confused, Wartortle was insulted, and Ivysaur looked especially heart-broken. All that could be heard were the cries of her Pokémon and the screeching of the tires of the car that rushed away.

Investigating the cause of the blind panic, Isabelle approached, with the bowls of food still in her hands. There, she saw it. On the table the family had been sitting near, a flock of birds had descended. Four Pidgey and a Spearow.

Spearow were normally ill-mannered birds. It wasn't that they were evil, but they were incredibly territorial. Pidgey were more docile and willing to share. To see a Spearow with a flock of Pidgey was surprising, to say the least. The Pidgey, however, seemed to fully accept the Spearow as one of them. They stood together and chattered as if they could understand each other. Maybe they could. It hadn't been proven yet. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she swiftly made a short movie, to be sent to Bill later.

Pidgeotto, being his courageous, bold self, approached the Pidgey and Spearow. They spoke for a moment before Pidgeotto nodded his head towards the Spearow. Apparently, it was good. He was one of them, however strange it may sound.

Then the Spearow flew off, allowing Isabelle and her Pokémon to eat lunch without any further distractions. Izzy was sad that the family with the children had left as she could have used the company.

When everyone was nearly done eating, Isabelle started to pack her backpack again. Some berry bushes were nearby, and so Izzy started to count how much of everything she had, and what she lacked. She definitely needed berries that could cure poison. Pecha berries, for example. Those soft, sweet, pink ones. Berries like … exactly that one. A berry had appeared in front of Izzy's backpack. A Pecha berry, conveniently. Looking up, the Spearow was there.

"Did you bring me this? Thank you! Are there more?" Isabelle asked kindly, causing Spearow to fly off right away. While Spearow was gone, she opened her berry case to store the Pecha berry away. One more case of poison she could cure. Besides, many Pokémon seemed to love the taste of these.

Spearow, and even the Pidgey, came back with more berries. Spearow carried another Pecha while the Pidgey had Cheri berries which cured paralysis. Useful when working with electric types.

"Come on, you guys," Isabelle called out to her Pokémon. "Let's follow them. I need these berries." Izzy carefully rubbed the Spearow over its rough, brown plumage. "Thank you, Spearow. You're a star. Keep up the good work." In a tender moment, the Spearow rubbed its head against her hand. She could see this Spearow being either an amazing Pokémon for someone one day, someone who'd be openminded enough to consider the actual Pokémon instead of judging it for the tendencies of the species, or being here, leading the Pidgey since Spearow tend to fully evolve sooner than Pidgey do.

Fully stocked, Isabelle took her leave from the birds and continued on her way to the next town. Journeys like these made her wish she owned a bike.


	22. 022 Fearow

**#022 Fearow**

 _Fearow, the beak Pokémon. The evolved form of Spearow. Fearow's large wings and stamina allow it to fly for an entire day without landing. It will shoot upward, and then dive down to catch prey. Its long neck and beak allow it to pluck prey from both land and water, and it will even catch tiny insects that hide underground. Fearow is found in wastelands and desolate fields – Nurse Evergreen._

Today was a bit windier than normal; autumn had come. Nurse Isabelle had tied her hair tightly into her accustomed braid to prevent it from going everywhere, but the tiniest hairs had escaped, nonetheless. Her sneakers made crunching sounds over the fallen leaves and snapped branches. Despite the weather, Isabelle was enjoying herself. The sound of the wind rustling the branches and remaining leaves was one of her favourite sounds of nature; it reminded her of how powerful nature really is.

This sound was interrupted by two others. The first was the frightened squealing of a Caterpie, accompanied by the angry roaring of a bird. A Fearow, Isabelle guessed from its cry. There was something rough about the shriek, unlike the more melodious cry of a Pidgeot. And indeed, when she came closer, the massive bird was pecking away at a tree from which the shrieking of the worm Pokémon could be heard. The beak to brain ratio never failed to amaze her, as that sharp beak was a powerful tool.

No matter how much it saddened her, this was nature. Birds eat bugs, after all. At that moment, however, something out of the ordinary happened. With a gigantic swing, Fearow dug his beak deeply into the hollow tree in which Caterpie was hiding, resulting in him getting stuck; he had struck too deeply. Taking its chance, Caterpie dashed out of the hole, made a show of climbing over Fearow's body, got blown off by the autumn-y gale ongoing, rolled a bit, rightened himself, and slithered off. Furious, Fearow flapped his mighty wings, causing tiny whirlwinds to whip up the leaves from the ground. To no avail, as the bird was still stuck in the tree.

Isabelle ran to the agitated bird, eager to help. With ease, the bird made a mess of her hair as she tried to avoid those powerful wings. She had to duck occasionally to not be injured by those wings.

"Calm down! Calm down! I'll get you out of there. Don't make me call Ivysaur to use a sleep powder on you," she warned. That seemed to calm the bird down a little. She was fortunate he understood her; not all wild Pokémon were accustomed to human speech. It may have been the tone, potentially. Fearow still made angry sounds, muffled by his closed beak, but did not flap his wings as much. His body was tense in anger, though.

Wrapping her arms around his feathered body, Izzy helped tug him free, careful to support his neck. Such a long, thin neck couldn't be strong, she felt. After a few mighty tugs, he finally shot free of the hollow tree. As Izzy fell on her bottom on the ground, the Fearow spread his wings and soared off.

"Well, you're welcome," Isabelle huffed, brushing the stray strands of hair out of her face, before getting up. She had had the wonderful idea to wear white trousers today which had been totally smudged by mud and grass stains.

The Fearow did not leave the area, however. As Isabelle continued to her next destination, Vermillion city, the large bird kept to the skies, hovering near. It couldn't still be looking for the Caterpie, could it? Maybe it was simply hungry. She should still have some leftover Pokémon food that none of her team liked very much. That was the danger of trying out recipes she found online; not all of them were a hit. They didn't taste all that bad but were mostly dry.

Izzy withdrew the container from her backpack, bracing against a sudden gust of wind in the meantime, and removed the lid. With her eyes focussed on the sky, she tried to angle herself in such a manner that the wind would carry the scent of the dry blocks towards the bird.

It only took a few shakes of the container to draw Fearow's attention. However, Isabelle hadn't quite anticipated what would happen if she were to get the attention. In a swoop dive that resembled an aerial ace attack too closely for comfort, Fearow swooped in and knocked Isabelle over once again. Greedily, he pecked at the container, stuffing himself with as much food as possible before the young nurse could get up.

By the time she had regained her footing, the leftover food was gone and the bird had flown, this time out of sight. The poor container had been pierced by that beak and was close to useless now.

"You know, Pidgeotto," Isabelle said in the general direction to the Pokéball on the straps of her backpack. "I think I'm not quite ready for you to evolve just yet. I hadn't quite realised how strong you birds are in your final form. So, if you don't mind, please stay as you are. Okay?"

No answer came.

"Silence is agreement," Izzy announced cheerfully. Her dad always used to say that. The memory hurt and made her sigh.


	23. 023 Ekans

**#023 Ekans**

 _Ekans, the snake Pokémon. Ekans moves stealthily through grass and preys on eggs from Pidgey and Spearow nests but can strike any other prey from behind. It grows longer with age and wraps itself around tree branches at night to rest. If not in a tree, it will coil itself up—a position in which it can defend itself from all directions. Its jaw can detach to swallow large prey, but such a meal can make Ekans too heavy to move. A new-born Ekans's bite is painful, but not venomous. It flicks its tongue out to detect danger and the scent of prey. It was also observed to possess some swimming abilities. Ekans lives in grassy savannas and plains – Nurse Evergreen._

Isabelle Evergreen grew up in Celadon city. This massive town had many facilities, including a gym that oriented itself on grass-types. As the daughter of a Pokémon nurse, the 10-year-old often went with her mother to check on the Pokémon used in there. She had a friend there, too. Erika, whose mother was the gym's leader, was the same age as her. Together, they petted the Bulbasaur and the other Pokémon that walked around in the fragrant gardens of the Celadon gym. It had been one of her favourite places to go.

On one afternoon, Izzy sat in the outskirts of town on a road bench, watching the tall grass sway in the wind. The gentle rustling was one of her favourite sounds, even back then. Trainers came and went, to challenge Erika's mommy or to visit the mall which was the biggest in all of Kanto. Excitedly, the girl with the golden pigtails would ask the trainers to show her their Pokémon. Occasionally, one would comply. Izzy made quite an adorable sight with her blushing cheeks, bright eyes, Butterfree t-shirt, and Bulbasaur bulb backpack. All, except for the girl, would notice the police officer stationed near the gate to Celadon who kept an eye on her.

A louder rustling caught Izzy's attention, when no trainer had come for a while. She had been thinking about the electric-type the previous trainer had. She had never seen anything like it. It had been taller than her, too. The grass rustled again, signalling a Pokémon nearby. Izzy did not have any Pokémon with her. Sometimes, she brought one for safety, borrowed from the Pokémon centre to give it some exercise and to protect herself, but Izzy had not done so today. She kind of regretted this decision right now as she would have liked the comfort of a Raticate or something at her side.

The grass parted and a snake slithered out. Brilliantly purple and longer than she was tall, the serpent was not a pleasant sight for an unarmed girl.

"Ekanssss," it hissed as it slithered along. Izzy kept quiet, not wanting to draw its attention or chase it off. The sun glittered so prettily on its scales. Just as it was passing by, it stopped right in front of her bench, so close that if little Izzy would stretch out her foot, it would touch the snake. She wondered if it felt hot or cold to the touch.

The snake coiled up and faced the girl that was beginning to get quite scared. The way the snake looked at her didn't sit well with her.

"Ekanssss," it hissed again, flickering its tongue to taste the air, which Izzy found unsettling. She held as still as she could, as she knew that running would not help her at all. Her breath came out in tiny gasps and her knuckles were white from gripping the bench so tightly.

Without any obvious provocation, the Ekans lunged at her. It bit down on her shoulder and wrapped itself around her body, crushing her chest and pinning her arms against her body. The place where she had been bitten began to burn immensely right away. Unable to stop it, the young girl screamed in pain and terror, immobilised by the surprisingly strong snake which had wrapped its long body around hers to keep her still. Over and over, she screamed in heavy sobs until the burning in her shoulder became too much and everything went black.

In the hospital, her mother told her she had been found by a trainer who had rescued her, but he had nearly been too late. She had been badly poisoned and would need to stay in the hospital for quite a while. The news barely registered with her. Her shoulder was throbbing painfully and she felt numb from the medication. When her mum left to talk to the nurse, the girl simply cried until she could cry no more. For one of her beloved Pokémon to betray her turned her entire world upside down. Maybe Pokémon weren't the fun, cuddly pets she thought they were.

The poison was cured, the wound healed, and even the scar was barely noticeable on her left shoulder, due to the paleness of her skin. Only in summer when her skin tanned, it became noticeable to the untrained eye. It took her a while to trust Pokémon again, but the fear for poison-types never left her though and continued to plague her for the rest of her life.


	24. 024 Arbok

**#024 Arbok**

 _Arbok, the cobra Pokémon. The evolved form of Ekans. Arbok is capable of crushing opponents by coiling its body around them and squeeze them tightly. It can even flatten steel oil drums. If it encounters an enemy, it raises its head, mimics the opponent with the frightening pattern on its body and making eerie sounds by expelling air from its mouth. It has been stated that if any part of Arbok's body except for the head is cut off, it can regrow the rest of its body again in a matter of a few weeks. It also can detect vibrations. Arbok is territorial. It lashes out at intruders with long fangs tipped with deadly venom. With a vengeful nature, it will not give up a chase once it targets its prey or an opponent, no matter how far. It makes its home in grassy savannas and plains. In the wild, it hunts smaller Pokémon, using the pattern on its hood to immobilize prey and using its toxic bite to finish them off and eat them – Nurse Evergreen._

The memory of that unfortunate first encounter with an Ekans came to haunt her whenever she dealt with a poison-type. But, as many nurses agreed, a nurse's personal opinion of Pokémon could never prevent her from doing her duty. Whenever a Pokémon needed help, it must always be given. That didn't mean she enjoyed working with them, though.

Nurse Isabelle's faithfulness to this rule was tested when a trainer stopped her on the road. His Pokémon was injured and because there was no Pokémon centre around, he asked the nurse who was travelling by herself. Her outfit gave her away as a nurse, since we wore the trademark colour shirt and white pants, along with some comfy sneakers that looked to be fitting to the colour scheme. She also had her nursing pin, which was given to her at her graduation, among other healthcare related badges on her backpack.

"An injured Pokémon? Sure, I'll check it out. Just a cut, you said, on her tail?" Isabelle knelt as she withdrew her pack from her back, to get some disinfectant and bandages.

"Yeah. Nothing much, but it's hurting her. Arbok, come on out!" Isabelle froze when the trainer called the massive cobra Pokémon to come out. Of all Pokémon, it had to be a snake. She resisted the urge to groan in despair.

Arbok were huge. They were 3,5 meter long, making them over twice as long as she was tall. Raising up her head, Isabelle looked anxiously at the snake, looming in front of her. She took a shaky breath.

"I need you to do something for me," she told the trainer. "Can you make sure your Arbok does not move? I'd prefer it if she faced away from me. I've had some bad experiences with snakes randomly attacking me," she trailed off. Even the memory made her shoulder ache. She rolled it and rubbed the scar to soothe the pain.

"One bit you? Oh damn, I'm so sorry. I can promise you that my Arbok is exceptionally well raised. She won't harm you, I promise!" He sounded so concerned. "Arbok, can you do that for the kind nurse? Look away and keep still. She can make the pain in your tail go away," he told his female snake, who obeyed him without question. If Isabelle weren't so tense, she would have been very impressed with the young man, raising his Arbok like that.

Sighing, Izzy cleaned her hands and knelt near the tail, seeing the deep, red cut on the purple flesh. It was quite a striking contrast. For now, she merely inspected the wound, looking at it from all angles. It was slightly raised and a bit inflamed, but not infected, luckily. The fact Arbok was a poison-type surely helped with that.

"I'm going to clean the cut now. It may sting a little, but it'll prevent an infection, which can be avoided easily with some care. Please make sure Arbok doesn't move. Her tail is strong enough to knock me over and send me flying." The trainer repeated Izzy's command to the snake, stroking her scaly head tenderly. It helped Izzy to talk to the trainer instead of the snake, even though the Arbok was likely intelligent enough to understand Izzy as well.

Spraying a generic potion on the wound, Isabelle saw the redness already lessen a little. It disinfected and numbed the pain a bit. Then she asked to have the snake lift this part of her tail just a little so the bandage can be wrapped around it.

Touching the cobra Pokémon as little as possible, Isabelle expertly wrapped the wound with the bandage. This was easy. She practiced this: bandaging in the least painful way possible. There was a technique to prevent it sliding loose and in a manner worthy of a nurse, she knew this. Her hands shook a little with her racing heart, but she still managed to bandage Arbok properly. Not her neatest job ever, but this would hold to let the snake heal.

When it was done, she let out a deep sigh, standing up and stepping back. She wiped her forehead, which felt clammy, and packed her bag again as the trainer received confirmation from Arbok the pain was less and the bandage was tight. By the time Izzy was ready to look at the trainer again, the snake was gone.

"There. All done. I'd prefer it if you didn't fight with her until she doesn't feel pain anymore. A confirmation from another nurse that the cut is healed is most preferable, but you may not encounter any before it's healed. If the bandage does fall off before the wound is healed, head over to the Pokémon centre right away. Do not keep travelling without it. Pokémon welfare before badges, always. Okay?" The trainer said he understood her, thanked her greatly, and even gave her an antidote, as a wry and tiny bit inappropriate gift of thanks.

As she watched the trainer go on his way again, Isabelle congratulated herself for a job well done. This was what a nurse was about. That night, she called her friend Erika to tell her about her day. She had considered calling her mum but feared disapproval on a job sloppily done and on letting her emotions nearly impact her work. Having a senior nurse as a mother wasn't always easy.


	25. 025 Pikachu

**#025 Pikachu**

 _Pikachu, the mouse Pokémon. Pikachu sometimes travel in groups. It raises its tail to check its surroundings and is occasionally struck by lightning in this position. Living in forested areas, Pikachu is found foraging for berries it roasts with electricity to make them tender enough to eat. It has been observed eating and sometimes destroying telephone poles, wires, and other electronic equipment._

 _Pikachu can release electric discharges of varying intensity. Pikachu has been known to build up energy in its glands and will need to discharge to avoid complications. It is also able to release energy through its tail, which acts as a grounding rod, as well as recharging fellow Pikachu with electric shocks. Pikachu can also electrify itself to use its signature move, volt tackle. When threatened, it looses electric charges from its sacs, and a group can build and cause lightning storms. It is found mostly in forests, where a sure sign that Pikachu inhabits a location is patches of burnt grass – Nurse Evergreen._

It always saddened Nurse Isabelle when people look down on Pokémon. Every case like that was one too many. Regretfully, a discarded Pokémon case found her in Vermillion city.

Isabelle happened to be in Vermillion city to check on the Pokémon aboard the S.S. Anne. Being confined on a cruise ship didn't do much good to some Pokémon. However, in the Pokémon centre, a sailor approached her. He seemed the jolly kind of sailor. He was a bit chubby, but his face was made for laughing. His eyes were serious, though, when he approached her.

"Hello, miss Nurse. Do you do house calls?" He asked her solemnly. Isabelle nodded, a bit too surprised by the question inside a Pokémon centre to answer. "Good. Could you come over to the Vermillion gym? I'll meet you there." After saying that, the sailor shook her hand with both of his and waddled off. His hands had been rough from manual labour.

Curiosity got the better of her, so Isabelle found herself in front of the tackily decorated gym. Massive thunderbolts were attached to the building, to make clear it was an electric-type gym. To be honest, it looked like a child designed the building, Isabelle thought. It had some charm, however. Why not go all out?

In front of this building, the sailor stood, cradling something in a blanket against his body with his thick arms. When Isabelle approached him, he nudged with his head to follow him elsewhere. They did not travel far, to a small house near the gym. It was an entirely unremarkable house, not being in any state of disrepair that may cause alarm when following a man for a curious case.

Once he was sure the door was closed, the man laid the bundle down on the table. The care he took not to shake it too much and to lay it down softly suggested something of value, or something living. This behaviour was suspicious to Isabelle. What was so important in this bundle that such secrecy was required?

He then unfolded the cloth, revealing a yellow rodent. Something terrible had happened to it, because it shied away from the look of Isabelle, flinching at every sound she made. Only inside the blanket, it seemed to find a bit of comfort.

Upon being gestured to check it out, since she was a Pokémon nurse, the sailor began to talk, softly.

"This Pikachu belonged to Lt. Surge, from that gym. I train there whenever I'm back on land, with a Pikachu of my own. This one hatched from an egg laid in the gym, so the gym is all he knows. As you might know, Lt. Surge looks down on unevolved Pokémon, thinking they're weak and wasting potential. This Pikachu does not want to evolve. Lt Surge tried to make him by forcing a stone onto him often. This morning, he was fed up with him. What he did exactly, I don't know, but this is the result."

The Pikachu seemed to be most scared of men, since it did not flinch from Izzy's soft hands, the way he did when the poor sailor accidentally made contact with its fur. Sitting down on a chair, the young nurse moved slowly and carefully so she wouldn't spook the poor electric-type. She rubbed his cheeks, feeling his electrical sacs, and checked for internal injuries, such as broken bones and bleedings. A tiny relief was that the Pikachu had no physical injuries. However, it did not explain what had happened.

"I think that this Pokémon is wary of humans, now. Lt. Surge is probably the only man he's known and all he had done was force this mouse to do stuff he did not want to. You have a Pikachu, you said? I suggest you have them meet. If you are a good trainer, this Pikachu might see not all men are forceful like the lieutenant. If Pikachu does not recover, it's a good idea to release him. There are sanctuaries for traumatized Pokémon, run by nurses such as myself, usually in a remote location. I will give you the contact details of an old classmate of mine, who has specialised in electric-types. Jane Joy, her name is. Cut her hair super short."

Isabelle stood up from the chair, rubbing the Pokémon on his little head. He was so skittish. It broke her heart. While Lt. Surge didn't physically abuse the poor thing, being kind to it was entirely different. She supposed it was the rough way some gymleaders ran their gym. A retired army man knew all about breaking and rebuilding better than ever. It just wasn't the right method for everyone.

The sailor sighed and nodded, thanking her for her advice. Isabelle touched his arm in consolation.

"Don't worry. If your heart is in the right place, he might see that too. Don't give up on him." She smiled softly at the chubby sailor, earning her a teary smile in response and the tightest hug she's had since she left home.

A few months later, she received a photo in her inbox. It was the same sailor, on a boat to goodness knows where, with two Pikachu on his shoulders. The man had not slimmed down a bit, but the brilliant smile on his face was the most important thing.


	26. 026 Raichu

**#026 Raichu**

 _Raichu, the mouse Pokémon. The evolved form of Pikachu. Raichu exudes a weak electrical charge from all its body and slightly glows in the dark and is capable of storing over 100,000 volts of electricity. However, it may become aggressive if it has stored too much electricity. To keep from reaching this state, it discharges electricity through its tail into the ground. This leads to scorched patches near its nest. If Raichu's sacs are fully charged, its ears will stand straight up and its muscles become stimulated. Raichu is found in forests and woodlands – Nurse Evergreen._

Growing up in a busy city like Celadon, Nurse Isabelle found herself longing for some tranquillity occasionally. Don't take her wrong; she loved the city, but after a long day, she preferred a bit of peace and quiet. This time, she decided to go to the sea. Route 25, near Bill's lighthouse. She loved this place.

Pidgeotto was flying around, soaring over the sea. It's been a while since she's been near the sea and she noticed her glorious bird preferred the challenging winds of the sea over any kind of wind. Wartortle was out, too, playing in the waves. Ponds and baths weren't enough for a water type to stay healthy. They needed real water every now and then. Her cries told Izzy she was feeling much better. Ivysaur was around somewhere, too. The sun was shining and so Izzy would be able to find him napping somewhere grassy. Sand wasn't his forte.

"Hello? Whose Ivysaur is this?" A deep voice rang out, audible even over Pidgeotto's ecstatic shrieks. Nurse Isabelle turned around and saw a familiar form standing a bit further off, near the shade of where the sand of the beach met the grass of next route. An orange Pokémon near him was fuzzing over what seemed to be her grass type, who was totally out cold. Not wanting to keep him waiting, Isabelle jogged over to where they were, trusting Pidgeotto and Wartortle to take care of themselves and each other. She hadn't noticed any animosity between them so far.

"He's mine. I'm sorry, he just likes the sun… Oh! Hello there!" Isabelle recognised the man as Dominic, the guy with the borrowed Pidgeotto. She, in her nurse-themed outfit, was much easier to recognise and she received a smile back.

"Hey there, Nurse Isabelle. Fancy meeting you again," he told her. Dominic Whitewater was a tall, broad-shouldered trainer with a charming smile and a heart of gold. Izzy noticed he'd grown a beard since she last saw him. His hair was more chocolate brown, but his beard was definitely black. Ever since he left his number in her hand since they last met, they've been talking nearly daily, sharing photos and stories of the kind of stuff they encountered on the road. With Dominic being a ranger, the cases he ran into were similar yet entirely different from hers

"So, this is the Pokémon you spoke about? A Raichu. Nice choice," Isabelle praised, kneeling down in the sand in front of the dark orange mouse. Her fur looked healthy and her mild temperament told Izzy she wasn't over-charged. "She looks great," the nurse told Dom with a smile. "Hey there, sweetheart," she told the Raichu, kneeling down in front of her. "I've heard loads about you."

Dominic beamed back at her, obviously very fond of the electric type. "She should. This little lady is quite important to me. Aren't you, Rai?" He asked her.

"Rai! Rai!" Raichu replied energetically.

Dominic ran a hand through his brown hair, which was made messy by the sea wind and smiled down at the golden blonde.

"I was on my way to find some lunch. Perhaps you'd like to come with me, to share a picnic?" His smile held more warmth to her than the sun did, despite a slight hint of sunburn on her nose and cheeks.

Isabelle stroked Raichu's head bashfully. "I'd like to, but preferably here. It's been so long since my Pokémon could play. I'd hate to call them back now while they're having so much fun."

Dominic nodded. "Good thing I came prepared then. Ta-dah!" He called out, revealing a picnic basket. It made her laugh. "I have enough food for two, and for four Pokémon. Please join me?" He asked. Isabelle couldn't help but agree.

So there they sat on the sand. Their backpacks functioned as tables and all around the two trainers sat the Pokémon. An Ivysaur, a Pidgeotto, a Wartortle, and a Raichu. Strangely enough, Wartortle and Raichu were sitting together, chattering in the way that reminded Izzy of the way she used to chat with her best friend Erika. Isabelle explained to Dominic that Wartortle used to watch over a band of Squirtle and, therefore, was suspected to have quite a soft spot for young Pokémon. Dominic nodded and told her that Raichu tried to nurture anything. Big or small, young or old; it didn't matter to Raichu. She even cared for him. That made Izzy smile.

"So," Izzy said. "Just happened to find me here and have, not only, enough food for both of us, but the exact kind of Pokéblocks my Pokémon love? I don't believe it one bit."

That made Dominic laugh. "Okay, you caught me. You miss nothing, do you?" Isabelle shrugged humbly, mentioning something like part of the trade. "I follow your alt blog, remember? You mentioned going to this beach yesterday. And the details about what your Pokémon love, I got from your main blog. I found the food experiments series very interesting. I really love cooking so it's a topic close to my heart. Got a few pointers for you if you're interested, from my own experience."

As the sun set, they finally finished all of the food. They had been sitting there for hours. Talking to Dominic was so easy that time flew by. Pidgeotto had already returned to his ball to rest. Ivysaur was oddly awake, prowling around now that the air was cooler. Wartortle and Raichu were searching for something in the sand of the beach. Possibly shells.

Standing up and brushing the sand off their clothing, they both packed again. Isabelle would stay with Bill in his lighthouse and Dominic would go to Cerulean city, which wasn't too far away. They shook each other's hands as they said goodbye. A slight tingle went through Izzy's body as she felt that his hands were rougher than hers; calloused from work. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation at all. In the background, Wartortle and Raichu were hugging. The two seemed to get on well, despite Wartortle being sensitive to Raichu's electricity.

"Well, then. I do hope to see you again. It's been a pleasure having lunch with you," Isabelle smiled up at the taller man.

"The pleasure is all mine, princess," he smiled. He kissed her hand, recalled Raichu to her ball as she was starting to nod off, and walked away.

Isabelle shook her head to get herself together, recalled her own Pokémon, and headed off to the lighthouse in the distance. When she got there, she had an unread text from Dominic, saying "You should come over one day. I'd love to cook for you." That night, Izzy fell asleep with a giddy smile on her face.


	27. 027 Sandshrew

**#027 Sandshrew**

 _Sandshrew, the mouse Pokémon. Sandshrew spends much of its time hidden underground in deep burrows. It only emerges to hunt, which it does by waiting within its burrow to instantly lunge out and drag in passing prey. Sandshrew can quickly curl into a tight ball to protect itself from great falls and opponents but may also throw sand at attackers. While its body can efficiently absorb water to facilitate life in the desert, Sandshrew has been found in caves as well – Nurse Evergreen._

For the last few days, it had been raining mercilessly. Water-type Pokémon were overjoyed with this, but other types not so much. On the first sunny day after the heavy rain, Nurse Isabelle walked around the town she was in to check out the damage. She knew this was the job of the rangers usually, but she was curious what the state of nature was. The rangers were incredibly good at what they did, but none were as medically trained as she was.

The most obvious issue was that the rivers had flooded. The people in the towns weren't in dire need of help; they merely had wet ankles. Nurse Isabelle was more worried for the Pokémon. With rain boots up to below her knees and Wartortle swimming nearby, she set out.

It didn't take long to find her one. On the place where there used to be a grassy slope, filled with burrows, no ground was visible anymore. The entire slope was covered with murky water. The ground was soggy and mud-covered, making it unable to support weight or hold the structures built in it by the ground types.

Speaking of the ground types, Izzy noticed a Sandshrew on the mud-covered ground, seemingly unconscious. Sandshrew usually hated water, so to see one laying in the muddy water was concerning at the very least. Isabelle immediately called out to Wartortle to drag it towards her.

As soon as the Sandshrew was near, Izzy gathered it up in her arms and retreated to higher ground where the water did not reach. Against her wish to clean the mouse Pokémon up, Isabelle put the Sandshrew down on the ground in the sun. Rather than a bath, the ground type would benefit much more from simply drying in the sun. It was a Pokémon capable of handling a desert, after all. The mud would fall off easily once dry.

As Sandshrew laid in the sun, drying up, Isabelle sat nearby, guarding it. It was a tiny Sandshrew, which might be how it did not manage to escape the water. Izzy called in what she discovered and expressed her worry some more Sandshrew might be stuck in their burrows. It was a horrifying thought but someone needed to check if any could be saved or whether they all got out in time. Wartortle had left again, swimming in the lower part of town, seemingly enjoying the novelty of swimming through an actual town filled with fun obstacles.

About an hour or two after the Sandshrew was pulled from the mud, its eyes opened. Carefully, Isabelle crawled closer, stroking its head gently while smiling and making soothing sounds. With her hands, she brushed the dried mud from its dry skin. This little Pokémon would be okay. This knowledge relieved Isabelle. She loved fortunate endings.

Her phone rang with a text in response to her call; no more Sandshrew had been found in the burrows. All seemingly had gotten out and relocated elsewhere. It was an unfortunate loss to the town but an understandable one.


	28. 028 Sandslash

**#028 Sandslash**

 _Sandslash, the mouse Pokémon. The evolved form of Sandshrew. Sandslash has two large claws on its paws and feet. These claws are its primary weapons and are used for slashing. They can also be used for burrowing. Its claws and spikes can both break off and are shed regularly but grow back quickly. It can curl into a large ball to protect its white underbelly. In this position, it can roll to attack or escape and protect itself from heatstroke. Sandslash can mostly be found in deserts – Nurse Evergreen._

Somewhere near Pewter city, Nurse Isabelle's help was needed again. A couple of miners were doing maintenance on the rock tunnel, removing rocks that are in the way, fortifying the ceiling, and other stuff Isabelle had never been interested in. But that wasn't why she was there. One of the Pokémon helping the miners had fallen ill.

Sitting in the small, but cosy house of one of the miners, Isabelle was kneeling on the ground next to the sick mouse Pokémon. The poor thing had a harsh fever, probably from working too hard and not resting enough. Pokémon tended to go far for their trainers and sometimes too far. The heat from the fireplace made the cabin nicely warm. The Sandslash preferred heat over cold so this should make it feel better and help it heal easier. Even though Sandslash did not generally need to drink a lot of water, it was important that this one stayed hydrated, even more than usual.

While Isabelle was doing her best to bring the Sandslash's fever down, her Ivysaur helped the miner whose Pokémon she was treating. Ivysaur could dig a little and could use the training, having napped way too much over the last weeks, growing a bit pudgy and more than a bit lazy. Izzy had been going a bit soft on her affectionate starter.

Meanwhile, Pidgeotto was out to fly to the Pokémon centre to get some medicine for this Pokémon. All Nurse Isabelle could do now was make sure the Sandslash drank enough and kept warm.

Izzy's heart melted for this Sandslash. Even delirious with fever, it constantly sought praise and recognition. Its trainer had apparently raised it with a lot of positive reinforcement. Izzy had noticed he treated it this way from the way he said goodbye to his Pokémon, leaving with her Ivysaur. The man had been twice as broad as Isabelle is, yet he handled his Sandslash with such care. He had knelt in front of the mouse Pokémon and whispered to it to take it easy and rest up. He had said that Sandslash was his champion and even champions needed rest occasionally. To be fair, the man did not look that great either and Izzy told him so. Instead of blowing it off as he seemed to usually do, he nodded sadly and mentioned that maintenance week was the roughest for all of them. He needed the money, however.

While waiting for Pidgeotto to return, the Sandslash had left its place in front of the fireplace and crawled up against Izzy, so she got herself comfortable in front of the fireplace and allowed the spiky mouse to snuggle against her chest with its chin on her shoulder. In this position, his white underbelly rested against Izzy's chest, rather than his spikes. Because it had so many of these spikes, Isabelle could not pet it but that Sandslash didn't seem to mind this. Like this, the Pokémon finally fell asleep. It said a lot about the Pokémon that its preferred sleeping position, and the one he returned to when sick, was cuddling up against a human.

By the time the sun set and the miner came home with her Ivysaur, the Sandslash had napped for hours and even had had a potion to regain strength. The spiky mouse was feeling much better. Ivysaur, however, wasn't as pleased. It was tough work, working for a miner and he was entirely covered in mud. His mood brightened a lot when his human brushed and moisturised him until he was all clean and shining, fed him an amazing meal with the tastiest Pokémon food, and then allowed him to sleep on her bed with her in the Pokémon centre tonight.

The following morning, Isabelle returned to the miner's house. Ivysaur was too sore to come with her and slept in, buried in the Pokémon centre's herb garden. The Joy on duty, a woman as broadly built as the miners and probably as strong as one too, knew about this. Apparently, miner's Pokémon had a status of honour in this town and would be treated with the most tender loving care. After all, without them, the miners would not be able to work as efficiently, if at all.

That day, the Sandslash's owner had also taken the day off. He seemed fine to her, just severely overworked. She recommended a very hot bath and good food to him, both of which could be found at the Pokémon centre if needed. The Sandslash was doing pretty well. Up and about, still slightly weakened but finally eating again. Both of them should be right as rain the following day.

On her way out of the house, Isabelle was stopped by the miner. He pulled her into a tight hug that smelled of coal and pressed a little something in her hands. It was a Sandshrew made of yarn, fashioned into a keychain.

'For on your backpack, you know?' The miner said, gesturing to the soft-pink bag. 'It's so empty. Just let me … yeah, here we go!' He had fastened it to one of the zippers so the little Sandshrew bounced along with every step. 'Me wife loved to make em. She would have liked you to have one, for what you did for me Sandslash, and for me'.

For the longest of time, until it fell apart from lots of use, that Sandshrew hung from the same zipper on her backpack. Izzy was rather fond of it.


	29. 029 Nidoran

**#029 Nidoran**

 _Female Nidoran, the poison pin Pokémon. The poison secreted by the spines and horn is extremely potent, and even a scratch from its horn or a drop of poison from its barbs can be deadly. However, this docile Pokémon only uses its poison when it feels threatened. Nidoran lives in open spaces, such as savannas and plains. Nidoran is an exclusively female Pokémon, with the purple Nidoran being its male counterpart – Nurse Evergreen._

The summer had officially ended and with autumn, a lot of wind and rain came. Today was such a day. It was raining so hard that Nurse Isabelle couldn't see a hand in front of her eyes. The wind nearly blew her over. She needed to find shelter and fast.

Covering her face with her arms to prevent rain from getting into her eyes, Isabelle took step by difficult step. The Squirtle-patterned raincoat she was wearing had reached the limit of what it could protect her from. Her white pants were sticking to her legs, and her socks were so wet every step was accompanied with a squishy sound.

Suddenly, Isabelle heard something, causing her to stand upright and try to hear over the gale. There it was again. A piteous cry for help. It did not sound human so that meant a Pokémon was in trouble. Leaving the path, Isabelle went straight to the sound, keeping her eyes out for any Pokémon that might still be out in the rain. Immediately, her foot sank ankle-deep into the mud. Still, she would not be deterred.

After slipping and falling twice, causing her trousers to be covered with mud – which was an improvement from wet/see-through white, admittedly – Isabelle found the source of the sound. Underneath a tree, a small blue Pokémon was huddled, trying to keep itself warm. It was so tiny Izzy almost overlooked it. Those ears and barbs, in that colour, were unmistakable; it was a female Nidoran. It was curled up and whimpering, being rocked back and forth by the merciless wind. It was curious to find one alone. Usually, they stuck together, especially in weather like this.

Coming closer, Isabelle was noticed by the frightened little Pokémon. It looked up at her with its pleading, big eyes. Kneeling in front of her, Isabelle rubbed the Nidoran's head with her thumb. For a moment, she had forgotten the weather, with all its roaring around her. The tree sheltered them a little from the rain, anyway. A glorious tree, many times older than she was, with a trunk so thick she would not be able to wrap her arms around it.

"Many years ago, I would have loved to capture you, to take you with me. I love Nidoran. But why must you be so poisonous?" Isabelle asked the pure poison-type. Despite their cute looks, she did not trust it. She didn't trust those barbs or the tiny horn on her head.

With a sigh, Isabelle took her raincoat off and wrapped it around the female Nidoran, protecting the poison pin Pokémon from the rain and herself from those pins.

"I hope you like Squirtle," She mumbled, referring to the pattern on her raincoat as she covered the Nidoran. "It wasn't going to keep me dry anymore, either way. Come on. Let's go find shelter. You're shivering," Isabelle said. It was truly a shame she could not give this Pokémon the love it deserved. This would have been such an easy capture. The rabbit-like creature was so cute, and the final evolution as useful as any Pokémon a nurse may want, maybe even more so.

The light blue Pokémon was a tad heavy on her exhausted arms but nothing Isabelle couldn't carry. Ivysaur was much heavier than this tiny one, as he should be.

Not far away, Izzy found a cave. After exploring carefully, she declared it safe to rest in. Shivering because she was frigid, Isabelle wished she had a fire-type Pokémon. She could certainly use the warmth right now.

Something bumping against her leg made her look over curiously and then tense up. The Nidoran had left the raincoat and was snuggling up against her leg, burying her snout underneath her paws to make it darker or something.

That night, Isabelle slept restlessly, in a seated position. Whenever the tiny rabbit-like Pokémon moved, she was afraid of being pricked by her poisonous points. So, when the morning came and the sun rose, she was happy when it woke up. Stretching her sore muscles, she got up and prepared to leave, brushing some mud off her trousers. Muttering to herself about this pair being ruined, a soft rustling made her look back. There was the Nidoran, looking eagerly up at her.

"Oh, no. We're not doing this," she told it, but it would not listen. Whether it did not care or wasn't used to human speech, Izzy could only guess. The female Nidoran followed her around as she headed back to the main path, maybe thinking Isabelle was her mother now? With a sigh, the golden blond nurse decided to look for the mother. She should be around here somewhere. It was completely unlike her to leave the Nidoran behind, despite not being comfortable around it at all.

"You're lucky that you're cute, you know?' She called over her shoulder to it, as if that explained why she was helping the Pokémon. Who was she kidding? She didn't even believe it herself.


	30. 030 Nidorina

**#030 Nidorina**

 _Nidorina, the poison pin Pokémon. The evolved form of the female Nidoran. Nidorina is a gentle Pokémon, known to be a caring mother that chews food for its young. It seems to display close family bonds with others of its kind and becomes nervous when separated. Nidorina prefers not to fight since her horn grows slowly, but if forced or enraged, she prefers physical attacks such as clawing and biting. It also emits ultrasonic cries to befuddle foes. Nidorina lives in hot savannas and plains – Nurse Evergreen._

The following morning after Nurse Isabelle had rescued the little female Nidoran, the rain had stopped. Holding an apple in her hand as breakfast for on the road, Izzy left the cave in a good mood. It felt amazing to be able to walk normally again, albeit carefully because of the mud everywhere. This rainstorm had left the forest a mess. A cry made her freeze. Behind her, the young Nidoran came running towards her, crying for her to wait so she can catch up. Isabelle sighed.

"Oh, come on. Go back home. It's not storming anymore," she sounded slightly cross, but that was because she did not want the cute yet poisonous Pokémon following her. It would be so easy to just catch it right now, but she could never love her the way she loved her other Pokémon. No, Nidoran should go home. It obviously had one. They could not survive alone for long, as they are very social Pokémon.

The blue Pokémon ignored Izzy's words and sat at her heel, waiting for the nurse to start walking again. With an annoyed sigh, Isabelle started walking again. She'd have to find its mother for her if she ever were to get rid of it.

Not far ahead, after only an hour or two of walking, Isabelle heard something. The Pokémon sounded in great distress, so Isabelle jogged towards the source of the sound. A Nidorina sat on the side of the road, crying out repeatedly. The small Nidoran, who had followed her, dashed up to the upset Nidorina, but to no avail: even Nidoran's poking could not cheer her up.

Around the Nidorina, the ground was a mess. Scorch marks were everywhere, even on the trees surrounding the area, most likely coming from a fire-breather while the claw and skid marks probably belonged to its opponent. The Nidorina smelled the ground, laying on the grass next to an imprint of a collapsed Pokémon. Clearly, she had known the Pokémon that had collapsed there.

Snapping a branch under her foot accidentally, Isabelle made herself known. The Nidorina shot up, with fearful eyes. At least, her wailing had stopped. It cowered away, as if afraid of humans. This was odd behaviour for an otherwise gentle kind of Pokémon, and even more reason for Izzy to be concerned.

On the road, heavy boot prints showed in the mud. Combining those with the signs of a fight, it wasn't hard to figure out what had happened. A trainer must have captured a Pokémon here, using his own fire-type.

"You knew this one?" Isabelle pointed to the indentation in the grass. The Nidorina nodded, causing Izzy to sigh. Oh dear, a broken heart. Trainers rarely thought of the family a Pokémon left behind when they recruited them. While Isabelle ran a hand through her hair to think of what to do to soothe her distress, the Nidoran began talking to the Nidorina. At first, the bigger blue Pokémon didn't listen much but Nidoran must have said something that seemed like an amazing idea to Nidorina. They both cried out in excitement and ran over to Izzy, both sitting patiently at her heel.

"Are you kidding me? Both of you? Go away! I don't want you to follow me!" Yet again, they ignored her. Isabelle groaned.

"Fine! But as soon as I find you shelter or a better place to stay, I'm leaving you there. Surely, there's a mother Pokémon or human willing to take you two in," she grumbled as she walked off with her increased, blue tail. It seems she wasn't done here yet. Still, two of the Nidoran family within the same area? There could be a nest around here. While barging in on a poison-type's nest didn't seem like the best idea to Izzy, having these two follow her for the rest of her journey didn't appeal to her either.


	31. 031 Nidoqueen

**#031 Nidoqueen**

 _Nidoqueen, the drill Pokémon. The evolved form of Nidorina and the final evolution of the female Nidoran. Nidoqueen can be quite fierce and is very protective over its young. This Pokémon is at its strongest when it is defending its young and will try to seal the entrance to its burrow to protect them. When in contact with foes, it can poison them with the spikes from its back or cause small tremors by slamming the ground. It is also adept at sending foes flying with harsh tackles and it uses its hefty bulk to execute powerful moves. Nidoqueen lives in hot savannas and plains – Nurse Evergreen._

One morning found Nurse Isabelle and her blue tail in a tiny, rural town. It did not have a gym or a Pokécentre, so Isabelle stocked up at the berry farm. The elderly couple that stood in the store was happy to do business with her while their children and grandchildren took care of the berries. Because she had such lovely Nidos following her, the elderly woman gave her a small discount on the berries, allowing Izzy to purchase more for the same money. That woman knew exactly what each berry was worth and good for, even more so than Izzy herself did. Haggling was completely impossible, not that the young nurse minded that very much. Completely stocked up on berries that took care of any ailment as well as some healing berries, Isabelle asked the lady if she were interested in adopting the Nidoran.

"You see, ma'am, I found this one in the forest nearby during that rainstorm recently, all alone and cold. I can't take it since she needs a lot of attention and probably a mother. I cannot be that trainer for her."

To her disappointment, the lady from the berry shop shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I am too old to take in a young'un like that. We don't need another Pokémon at the farm either. But I know something that might help you. Every week or so, a giant blue one, a Nido… Nido… Nidoqueen! That was it! A Nidoqueen passes through town, followed by a lot of tiny ones like those two you got there. She's due today, so maybe that's the mother you're looking for, my dear?"

Isabelle thanked the lady and exited the shop, smiling. It sounded like the perfect solution. Maybe a bit too perfect.

Outside, Isabelle didn't have to wait long. As she sat on the grass, eating lunch, with the female Nidoran snuggled against her leg, a loud cry startled all of them. Despite being timorous about those poisonous spikes from Nidoran, she had to admit the small, blue Pokémon was rather cute. Now she felt bad for it as it leapt into the air, startled by the noise. The ground vibrated a little with every step the Pokémon approaching made, which was presumably a Nidoqueen with her posse of Nidos. Frightened, the female Nidoran began to cry out pitifully, drawing the attention of the Nidoqueen. Because of that, Isabelle faced a mad looking Nidoqueen.

This Nidoqueen was massive. Normally, they didn't get bigger than adult humans, but this one certainly was. As Isabelle stood, the Nidoqueen was taller than her.

"Ah shit. Hey," Izzy started uneasily. "Are these two yours? I found them crying in the woods." Isabelle didn't point at the woods in fear she might look threatening. Nothing as dangerous as a mother who thinks her offspring is being threatened. "Nidoran? Is this your mother?" The wailing blue Pokémon didn't seem to hear her. "Bad time to ignore me, cutie."

The Nidoqueen called out softly, a tone of voice Isabelle remembered from her own mother. Both the Nidos that had been following her perked up right away. Nidoran ran towards the Queen to rub her poisonous, little spikes against her leg while the other Nidorina in the Queen's posse took care of Izzy's depressed one.

"Oh, that worked out. Please, take good care of them, Nidoqueen," Isabelle told her, probably unnecessarily. "Nidorina seems to be mourning. I think someone she cared about was captured by a trainer. And Nidoran certainly could use some love. I think she's lost or abandoned."

The Nidoqueen nodded slowly, apparently recognising Isabelle as a worthy caretaker and then turned around to resume her journey with an even bigger posse of Nidos. Isabelle had had to step back to avoid her spikes but after that, she watched both fondly and with pain in her heart as her tail left her. They had been cute, yet so poisonous. They should be in better hands now. Nidos were social creatures and would only survive in a pack like that.

A Nidoran or Nidorina would be useful when studying the restorative and numbing powers of poisons, but Ivysaur was already capable of storing some poisonous powders and Izzy wasn't quite ready to have more of that kind in her team.


	32. 032 Nidoran male

**#032 Nidoran**

 _Male Nidoran, the poison pin Pok_ _é_ _mon. Male Nidoran constantly listen for the sounds of approaching enemies with their large ears. Said ears have unique muscles that allow them to be moved in any direction, and even the slightest sound does not escape a male Nidoran's notice. In order to listen to distant locations, it flaps its ears like wings. When angry, it extends its toxic spikes and charges, stabbing with its horn to inject poison. Nidoran lives in open spaces, such as savannas and plains – Nurse Evergreen._

Now that the female Nidoran and the Nidorina that had been following her been delivered safely to a good home, Nurse Isabelle made haste to get out of this forest. She was quite uncomfortable with all these poison types. They all looked so adorable but the sight of their spikes and pins made her skin crawl. She felt filthy because of the rain from the last days, combined with the mud which is now coating her shoes and legs up to her knees. Isabelle couldn't wait to get to a Pokémon centre and get a nice, hot bath. She'd wash Wartortle, brush Ivysaur and Pidgeotto, and just spend a quiet evening with her non-poisonous Pokémon. Yes, she knew Ivysaur was partially poisonous, but as long as he didn't know any venomous attacks, he was harmless to her. Maybe one day, she'd work with him to collect his poison powder to sell to a pharmacist. She read that the happier the Pokémon was, the better quality their powder would be.

Unfortunately, her bath had to wait. In the middle of the road, with its paws deep in the mud, a pink Nidoran sat. It looked overjoyed to see her, making Isabelle sigh inwardly. Her adventures in this forest weren't done yet, apparently.

The Nidoran looked absolutely filthy. He appeared to have been digging because his front paws and face were brown with mud. The entire forest was sludgy after the heavy rainfall that had occurred around the time that Isabelle had found the female Nidoran.

"What have you done to yourself? Look at you!" Isabelle called out, unable to stop the urge to mother it a little. The Nidoran looked at himself in a puddle and seemed to shrug, not caring about how he looked. So different from her Wartortle, Isabelle thought. On second thought, it was an iconic picture. She carefully withdrew her phone from a waterproof bag from her backpack and snapped a picture of him, sitting in a puddle in the middle of the road. She would think of a caption later.

"So… what's up?" She asked the Nidoran. He looked overjoyed she asked. He jumped off the road into the grass and began barking at her.

"Ni! Ni! Ni!" He ran a couple paces and then called out to her again. "NI! Ni!"

Isabelle had worked with enough Pokémon to know that this one wanted her to follow him. Mourning her poor sneakers, which until recently had been white and pink, she trudged off the road into the thick of the wood again. The Nidoran kept racing ahead, calling out for her impatiently.

"Yes, yes. I'm coming," Isabelle couldn't hide the annoyance in her voice. The lack of sleep and hygiene was catching up with her. She realised she had had it easy up until now, always able to stay near the towns and have shelter in the Pokécentres. But merely visiting gyms and townsfolk was not all she set out to do. Helping wild Pokémon, far from where humans normally travelled, needed to be done, too. That's where her passion was, strangely. To work beyond the safety of the Centre.

A bit ahead, Nidoran was digging furiously. Taking a deep breath, she bottled her frustrations and focussed on the task at hand. A Pokémon had called her here, probably to see something. While she had expected an injured Pokémon, this didn't appear to be the case.

Eventually, Nidoran found what he was looking for. Filthier than ever, he trotted over to Isabelle with a rock in his maw. Taking the stone carefully from Nidoran's mouth, she wiped it off on her white trousers. Underneath the muck, it appeared to sparkle nicely. Holding it in the sunlight that managed to shine through the leaves of the trees, Isabelle could see veins running through the stone.

"This is a moonstone," Izzy said, clearly in awe. She had not expected the poison type to be able to find such a thing, being a little prejudiced against them, as if their typing made them vicious little monsters instead of intelligent as the Pokémon she called her comrades. "Well done, Nidoran. Do you want to keep it, to evolve later?" Nidoran shook his head. He gently nudged his nose against her hand in a manner that said, 'you keep it'.

For the first time in days, Isabelle smiled at the helpful Nidoran and carefully stroked his muddy head.

"Thank you, Nidoran." Izzy stored the stone in her backpack to be used later.

The Nidoran dashed off, crying out, as if hot on the trail to find some more. By the time Izzy grew hungry, she had collected two more of these moonstones. The supply of these was low these days, so they would fetch a pretty price. For a moment, Izzy didn't think of the Pokémon living around here who would need these stones to evolve. All she could think of was that she would be able to sell them in Celadon and buy herself new shoes and probably more new clothing as well.

Looking around her to see if the Nidoran found more of these pricey rocks, she discovered that the pink Pokémon had left. The materialist inside of her was sad, but she snapped out of it and felt a bit guilty.


	33. 033 Nidorino

**#033 Nidorino**

 _Nidorino, the poison pin Pokémon. The evolved form of the male Nidoran. Nidorino is independent and fierce, often described as violent and easily angered. It uses its ears to check its surroundings. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might. Nidorino live in hot savannas and plains – Nurse Evergreen._

With her coat closely wrapped around her body, Nurse Isabelle braced herself against the chilly October air. She was very fond of this coat because it was so gorgeous. It changed in a gradient from white to blue. In the transition, the white changed to snowflakes upon a blue sky. Her white hat, scarf, and gloves were nothing out of the ordinary. All purely functional, as they should be. Nothing knitted by her mum or grandmother. They didn't knit. So, she had gotten them for Christmas from Erika, back in Celadon, who turned out to be allergic to this kind of wool.

As Isabelle walked through the familiar forest, she reflected on how she had had some adventures here with several members of the Nidoran evolution line. It seemed so long ago but it couldn't have been more than two months. She wondered how they were doing. The lost female Nidoran, the depressed Nidorina. Even that messy male Nidoran. She hoped Nidoqueen took good care of them. Izzy herself hadn't had many major adventures in the time since she'd last been here. Mostly been working as an on-site nurse for Pokémon races, which had been held in the past month.

Soft whimpering broke the silence of the forest in autumn. Izzy's thoughts immediately flew to the lost Nidoran and she dashed towards the sound. It was much too cold for a Pokémon that normally occurred at the savannah to be lost. The source of said sound wasn't hard to find because it was larger than the Nidoran she had expected. It wasn't blue either.

Curled up underneath a bare tree was a light purple Nidorino. The poor thing was shivering on the frozen ground and obviously malnourished. Concerned for his health, Isabelle squatted near it, feeling his head for a fever. He had none. Actually, he felt much too cold to the touch, which was much more concerning than a fever. His spikes looked rather dull, too.

Pulling her bag towards her while muttering to herself, she immediately sought for her berry case. Food was of the most immediate concern right now. A juicy berry should give the poor guy some energy to start moving again. If Isabelle left him here like this, the Nidorino would starve, or freeze to death, whichever came first.

Suddenly, she had an amazing idea. Nidoqueen and her posse should live around here; she could take care of this one. Grabbing a Pokéball from her belt, she enlarged it and summoned Wartortle.

"Wartortle, I need your help," Izzy spoke urgently. Her water type was strong against ice and could endure this wintery cold. "There is a Nidoqueen nearby. She should live in a cave with a lot of Nidoran and Nidorina. Can you please find her for me and call her here?" After staring at her Mistress for a long moment, Wartortle turned around and ran off, without giving any kind of verbal agreement. Isabelle sighed. The relationship between her and her Wartortle was getting worse. Soon, it would be time to think about what was best for Wartortle. Today was not that day, Izzy told herself. If only she had taken action this early, in hindsight.

Feeding the weak Nidorino some of her nutritious berries, Izzy waited anxiously for Wartortle and Nidoqueen. The Nidorino wasn't very responsive and hardly ate. It felt like ages before she heard the thumping sounds of a heavy Pokémon approaching. Wartortle didn't stop running and let herself back into her ball as Nidoqueen thundered towards Izzy and the Nidorino, nearly knocking over her trainer in the process. "Thank you for that," Isabelle muttered, annoyed.

"I found him like this, Nidoqueen. I've been trying to feed him some of these berries…" she showed them to the Nidoqueen. "...but he doesn't respond much. Please, Nidoqueen, take him in your posse. He will die, otherwise. He cannot survive alone; this much is clear!"

Nidoqueen grunted, stooped down, and swept the Nidorino up, who had lost consciousness. Then the matriarch stomped away to her den. Isabelle grabbed her bag and followed the blue Pokémon that was taller than she was. It was a major thing for Nidoqueen to take Nidorino with her, as this particular posse was a female-only one, for some reason. Izzy had been following ranger reports on it, after she communicated her encounter to the team.

In the den, Nidoqueen laid him down and barked orders to the Nidorina around, who immediately began gathering moss and food to warm him and feed him. While most Nidorina looked quite the same to her, Izzy recognised one. The Nidorina that had been depressed. There was something about her horns or snout that Izzy found familiar. The Nidorina that had been in mourning for a lost mate now scuffled close to the weak Nidorino and gently started licking his nose and snout as if to encourage him to open his eyes. And he did, softly calling out for her. Nidorina moved to press her body against his, sharing her body warmth.

From the entrance to the den, Isabelle watched fondly. She hoped that Nidorina's care would help Nidorino get well soon. And maybe, just maybe, they could become a pair. After snapping a picture for the rangers, Isabelle carefully touched Nidoqueen's arm to say goodbye and left them to it.


	34. 034 Nidoking

**#034 Nidoking**

 _Nidoking, the drill Pokémon. The evolved form of Nidorino and the final evolution of the male Nidoran. It is said that Nidoking's tail can topple a metal transmission tower. Nidoking uses this tail to smash, constrict, or break the bones of its prey and enemies. The tail can be swung to create distance between it and its foes before Nidoking charges. Its steel-like hide adds to its powerful, rampaging charges. Nidoking lives in grasslands – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle was a firm believer in quality time with her Pokémon. Today, she was taking care of her Pidgeotto. She'd been training him for search and rescue, which included steady flying, improved strength, and many other useful skills. Only this morning had he officially finished his training to become one of the first medically trained birds. Pidgeotto seemed to love doing the training. He always had had a knack for the daring activities, but Izzy never thought her bird was so eager to be hero. With his chest puffed out, he extended his right leg so Isabelle could attach the wrap around it to mark him as a medical bird. No matter which Pokémon centre or even pharmacy he went, this wrap ensured he would be given whatever Nurse Isabelle asked for on an official note.

That day, Isabelle had agreed to work a day shift for some money. The nurse she covered for needed to pick her daughter up in Johto and would therefore be unable to work. Izzy could use the money, so she agreed. In the main hall, a commotion could be heard, disturbing the moment of pride with Pidgeotto. The double doors had swung open and many men entered. Most of them were in a black suit with sunglasses, despite it not being sunny out. The fifth one, flanked by the men, wore a brown suit. Mr Brown Suit slammed his hand on the counter, startling a young Joy, and demanded that someone was to heal his Nidoking. Sighing, Isabelle smoothed down the skirt of the trademark nurse uniform and headed over to the main hall, leaving Pidgeotto to observe his wrap in the mirror.

"Can I help you, sirs? I am on active duty today," Isabelle asked in her best, most professional voice, even though she had little patience with such demanding, arrogant people. Mr Brown Suit turned around to face her. As his eyes dragged from her head to her shoes and back, Isabelle studied him. She realised who he was, and her stomach did a little leap. He was Giovanni, the current gym leader of Viridian and suspected member of Team Rocket. Nothing has been proven yet, unfortunately, but that didn't stop people from speculating. Fact remained that all gyms have had cases of Pokémon theft, yet Viridian had been miraculously spared. The gym leader proclaimed it was due to superb security, but Dominic, whom she had spoken to on the phone last night, had his doubts.

Either way, Giovanni was a tall, broad man with eyes that could unsettle anyone. He could have been handsome one day, but all the smirks and frowns that appeared on his face made him look rather frightening. It did not help that he had several bodyguards, all taller than both Isabelle and Giovanni. Most of all, he seemed so confident and calm, as if he did not fear a single thing in the world.

"You're no Joy," Giovanni stated, crossing his arms. Isabelle merely smiled.

"That would be correct, sir. I am nurse Isabelle. Just as medically trained as all the Joys. At your service," she gave the tiniest of curtsies, just to mock him. She pulled her braided hair over one shoulder, feeling like she needed its protection.

Giovanni was silent for a moment as he regarded her before seemingly deciding he did not care which nurse he was talking to. He extended his hand and threw a Pokéball at Isabelle.

"Nidoking is crippled. His poison point is no longer working. Without his poison, he is of no use to me. Make sure he gets his poison back or make sure he doesn't wake up." Giovanni stated, with the same casualness as someone ordering a coffee. This startled Isabelle, but she did not dare lecture him. She bowed her head, cradling the Pokéball in her hand, and motioned for the group to follow her to examining room 1, unsure whether she wanted them to follow or not.

In there, she released Nidoking from his ball and ran a general series of tests on him. The Nidoking was exceptionally well trained. It did not move a muscle without the command of his trainer. He didn't even listen to Isabelle much. Izzy noticed that this Nidoking was buffer than any she had seen before and easily the tallest one she'd ever seen. Giovanni apparently didn't only keep his own body in shape. The young nurse longed to document it in her Pokédex or even blog about it. She did not dare, however.

The cause of the lack of poison was surprisingly easy to find, even though Isabelle had expected this result.

"Your Nidoking isn't crippled, sir. He is merely exhausted. Has Nidoking been in a lot of battles, recently? Yes? I thought so. Using his ability so often caused Nidoking to run out of poison. It's not an endless supply but more like a gland. It produces poison and his horn stores it for defence. Nothing incurable if it runs out. Too many battles and not enough rest. I suggest not using Nidoking for battles for the coming week and he should be fine. If you have any doubts, you can bring him back next week for a new check-up, and the Joy on duty will tell you the same." Next to her, Giovanni narrowed his eyes but did not acknowledge her advice.

Isabelle patted Nidoking's shoulder. "You've taken good care of Nidoking. I'm always pleased to see that. I'd prefer it if I could examine your other Pokémon, too. If it's too much hassle to bring them all here, we could arrange a date that I visit your gym and examine them there."

With an appointment in her agenda to visit Viridian Gym for an examination, Isabelle said goodbye to Giovanni and his men, exhaling deeply. That man was terrifying and had the ability to make everyone feel uncomfortable. She wondered if he would follow her advice to let Nidoking rest. He seemed like the kind of trainer who determined a Pokémon's worth by their battle skill and deemed them worthless if they could not fight. On the other hand, Nidoking had been very well trained and obedient to a fault. Maybe he did care…

Or, as Dominic texted her when she told him about her day, the Nidoking wasn't his. Ever the sceptic.


	35. 035 Clefairy

**#035 Clefairy**

 _Clefairy, the fairy Pokémon. Clefairy is very shy and rarely shows itself to humans. On the rare occasions it does come down from its mountain home, it can be seen dancing under the light of the full moon. Once the sun starts to rise, it returns home where it sleeps nestled with other Clefairy. Though incapable of flight, Clefairy's wings can store moonlight and allow it to float. They're native to Mt Moon – Nurse Evergreen_

A rustling sound woke Nurse Isabelle up. She had been sleeping in one of the guest rooms of a small-town Pokémon centre. Drowsily, Isabelle checked her phone, which told her it was in the middle of the night, somewhere between two and three in the morning. Brushing her long, curly hair away from her face, she glanced around the room, checking if there was anything for her to worry about. Something pale and radiant was rummaging through her backpack before leaping back to the open window. 'Clefairy,' it chanted before dropping out.

"Oh no, you don't." Suddenly awake now, Isabelle leapt out of her bed and looked out of the window. There, glowing in the light of the full moon, bounced the Clefairy soundlessly through the sleeping town, occasionally singing its name. Isabelle hurried to get dressed. She pulled some trousers over her Raichu-orange pyjama shorts and merely swung her coat over her black pyjama shirt on which a Raichu was sleeping with an old-fashioned nightcap on. She quickly slid inside her sneakers, grabbed her Pokéballs and was out in less than five minutes.

Her long, golden blond hair whipped behind her as Isabelle chased the Clefairy. Searching for clothing to wear had revealed something was missing from her bag. Her necklace with the teardrop hanger made of iridescent crystal. It had been an 18th birthday gift from her mother and she was rather fond of it. Unfortunately, with her line of work, she couldn't wear it often, but she always kept it with her. Now, the Clefairy had taken it.

In the town, Isabelle saw more than one Clefairy, making it hard to determine which one had stolen from her. Other townspeople were up too though no one seemed as frantic as the young nurse was. She approached a young couple, who watched the Clefairy dreamily the way they might gaze upon the full moon. Izzy found nothing romantic about it.

"The Clefairy! They took something from me!" Isabelle could not keep her cool and looked around her agitatedly for the Clefairy that stole from her. She refused to let it get away from her.

"We know, dear. Calm down," said the man. He seemed perfectly calm. "You must be new here. They do this every full moon, you know. It's considered good luck if something of yours was taken, because the Clefairy decided to bless you. Come on, I'll show you. We'll watch them."

Sceptically, Isabelle followed the couple, who walked infuriatingly slowly. They made their way to Mount Moon, but they did not enter. They went up, over a well-hidden path Isabelle would have missed otherwise. It seems the mountain still held secrets only locals knew about. The path led to a clearing on the mountainside, where the Clefairy were, bouncing and twirling around a heap of shiny objects. Combined with their chanting, it seemed as if the Clefairy were singing. It kind of creeped Isabelle out, which may also be due to the fact one of those adorable bastards stole something from her.

Against the wall of the clearing, the young couple sat down, embracing. They watched the Clefairy as if it were the most romantic thing they ever saw. Resting her back against the cold rock, Isabelle watched with crossed arms, ready to pounce the moment they took off with the shinies. But her paranoia appeared not to be necessary. The moment the sun came up, after many hours of watching them like a suspicious Pidgeotto, the Clefairy stopped and bounced off again, yawning. They probably would snuggle up somewhere, Isabelle read back in her studying days, but right now she was more concerned with finding her necklace.

More and more people showed up to look for their jewellery and gems. Eventually, Izzy found it. Holding the pendant in the light of dawn, she once again marvelled at how gorgeous it was. Truly unfitting for a practical girl like her, yet so pretty to look at. She was happy she had it back and would pay better attention to it.


	36. 036 Clefable

**#036 Clefable**

 _Clefable, the fairy Pokémon. The evolved form of Clefairy. Clefable is a timid creature that flees when it senses people approaching, and is one of the world's rarest Pokémon. Its sensitive ears can distinctly hear a pin drop from half a mile away. Because of its acute hearing, it prefers to live in quiet, mountainous areas of which it is protective. Using a bouncy gait, it is able to walk on water and sometimes appears to be flying using its small wings. It's native to Mt Moon – Nurse Evergreen._

Usually, at the nursing school, Sundays were calm and quiet because all the teenagers tried to sleep in. Not today, though. Even though the sun had barely risen, excited chatter could be heard all over the hallway as students talked among each other, even to those not of their own dorm or year.

Sleepily, Isabelle and Wendy came out of their beds, standing in the doorway while rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Izzy's hair nearly reached her waist when wet but since it was awfully curly this morning, it hung somewhere between her shoulders and elbows. Wendy's black hair was an uncontrollable afro on her head, around which she was currently tying a floral scarf. Neither of the girls looked as well-groomed as all the dressed Joys and other nurses in the hallway.

"What's up?" Isabelle asked groggily, inquiring after the reason of this loud chattering. "Why is everyone making so much noise? It's Sunday, not Monday."

"Didn't you hear?" A Joy in her final year at the school asked. Her pink hair was a dark shade and tied in a knot on her head. "Clefable have been seen nearby!" Then she rushed off with her camera. Some Joys carried sketchbooks, while others merely seemed to bring their photographic memory. Isabelle looked around for Petra, who was another non-Joy around here, but Wendy yanked on her arm.

"Clefable, Isa! Clefable!" She said excitedly, looking as chipper as all the other girls. It hadn't taken her long to wake up, but that was nothing new.

"Yes, I heard that, unless you're trying to imitate their call?" Izzy snapped, unable to muster her level of excitement so soon after waking up, especially this early. Wendy merely laughed.

"No. I'm gonna find one! And you're coming with me." She decided. Isabelle groaned.

"Do I have to? It's so early. It isn't even seven yet."

"Yes!"

In a group of many young nurses in casual clothing (half of them with pink hair), the girls of the nursing school headed over towards the closest mountain ridge where the Clefable allegedly had been seen. Wendy was chatting animatedly about how she loved their gentleness and kept telling Izzy about the useful skills they could learn, such as something that might be called something with healing. Izzy wasn't really paying attention; she didn't feel as surefooted as she normally was.

At the place where the latest rumour said they were seen, all girls split up, to not to startle the possible Clefable with too many people at once. Isabelle followed a couple of older Joys, teachers of hers, who were just as excited to find these odd and rare Pokémon as Isabelle was. None of them believed Clefable were actually here. Textbooks did not have much on them, except for the fact that they were shy and unused to humans. After an hour or two, most girls went back to the school. None of them had been able to find any sign of the Clefable. Feeling hungry herself, Isabelle looked for Wendy, knowing she'd be the last one to leave. That girl simply did not give up hope. Izzy loved her for it.

While full of faith, Wendy Foxglove was definitely the clumsier one of the two. Finding out where she had gone wasn't hard for Izzy since the path was marked by broken branches and trampled flowers.

In quite a lovely, secluded place, Isabelle found her friend Wendy, surrounded by large, pinkish Pokémon. Her dark skin contrasted quite lovely with the soft, radiant pink of those Clefable. Upon hearing her approach, they all looked at her and chanted as one, "Clefable!" After that, they ran off. Well, ran? They made big, exaggerated steps as they bounced away, as if gravity did not apply to them.

Wendy was still sitting on the stone where she had been, as if she had been having tea with the Clefable. Upon Isabelle's curious look, she merely smiled, got up, brushed her trousers off, and started walking back. Isabelle looked at her receding form for a long time. What a curious girl. She did seem to have a real gift, though.


	37. 037 Vulpix

**#037 Vulpix**

 _Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon. Vulpix has a flame inside its body that never goes out and is capable of manipulating fire to such precision as to create floating wisps of flame. When the temperature outside increases, it will expel flames from its mouths to prevent its body from overheating. Vulpix is known to feign injury to escape from opponents too powerful for it to defeat. Vulpix can be found most commonly in grassy plains – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle hadn't been on Cinnabar island ever since she rescued a Charmeleon. Gary had adopted it and she seemed to be doing well. Although Izzy longed to check up on them, she didn't really know Gary Oak all that well and therefore feared it would be a bit too stalker-ish to do so.

The last week had brought some rough weather recently on the mainland, none of it had reached the island. The suns shone as beautifully and as warmly as ever here. It felt amazing to shed the raincoat and the regular nurse's uniform. Today, she could wear her shorts and a t-shirt with a Sandshrew napping under a palm tree. Her golden blond hair was done up in a bun with a few strands framing her face that had gotten loose from the slight breeze. Nevertheless, she still stuck out a little, as most Cinnabar natives had tanned over the summer and she had not.

As Isabelle walked over the path that led up to the volcano in the middle of the island, she sighed at her porcelain-coloured legs. She had spent so much time working that her tan had completely gone back to milky white. Oh well, while there were Pokémon that needed her help, Isabelle couldn't take any time off. She should be careful though not to burn. Her skin was incredibly inefficient in preventing that, unlike her friend Wendy's. That naturally dark colour could withstand anything.

While her time at Cinnabar may look like a holiday, it was not. She was on her way up to the Cinnabar gym, one of her favourite ones based on the Pokémon used. The current gymleader, Blaine, used fire types and most of them were so adorable. Vulpix, for example: the elegant fire fox with the gorgeous tails.

Blaine awaited her at the door of his inn. Isabelle could feel his eyes drag from her exposed legs up her body to finally settle on her face. He always did this, and it unsettled Izzy a little, but so far, he had meant no harm.

"Hey there, Blaine. I see you received my message. I thought I'd drop by. Surprise visit and all, to check that you're taking proper care of your Pokémon," Isabelle said, smiling brightly.

Blaine stood there in his bald-headed glory, wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, doing his belly-shaking laugh.

"Nah, little lady, you just want to cuddle with my Pokémon some more. But that's okay. I got a little task for you, and I'm sure you'll like it!" He winked at her, creepily. Why did people do that?

Following Blaine inside, he led her to the volcano. The inn housed more rooms than just the battle arena and guest chambers. Some of these were closer to the volcano than others, and in one of them, where it was nearly unbearably hot, Isabelle saw an egg laying on a blanket. Two things were immediately noticeable about the egg. Firstly, it had the characteristic pattern of a Vulpix on it, being those gorgeous curls representing their tails, so the kind of Pokémon that was in that egg wasn't hard to guess. But the second thing was much more worrying; the egg was cracked!

"Blaine!" Isabelle called out, utterly startled and fearful for the unborn Vulpix's life. "What happened here? How could this happen? I hope it wasn't you who did this!" She glared at him warningly, but he merely raised his hands innocently.

"No, little missy. I did not do this. You know I'm worthless with woman-tasks like this." This earned him a frown from the blonde. "I found the egg like this," Blaine continued, as if he did not see Izzy. "It was near the geysers so it must have been launched? I have no idea what exactly happened, but I tell you, I did not do this. So, do your nurse magic. Save this Vulpix," he demanded. Isabelle sighed.

"Because you asked me so kindly…" She mumbled. Both knew she'd never decline an assignment like this. Life was much too precious to Isabelle not to accept it. It had been a hot summer, so the Vulpix inside should have grown properly and healthily, but she had none of the x-ray equipment with her here to check. Calling the Pokémon centre downtown resulted in an answering machine, telling her the facility was closed for renovations.

For the next few days, Isabelle didn't see much sun either. One of Blaine's gym trainers, who also had a Vulpix, was an excellent cook and made sure both Blaine and Isabelle ate properly. He had quite a task to get Isabelle to leave the antechamber in the volcano. The sea was nicely cool against her legs. On any other day, she would have loved to play, but her mind was with the Vulpix egg. Dominic didn't respond to texts either, except for a single one to her that he was on a mission to investigate a few missing Pokémon reports. More and more of those reports showed up recently.

Then, late at night on the third day since Isabelle arrived at Blaine's gym, the egg began to shake and crack even more. During her studies, Isabelle had watched a fair share of hatchings, but they always remained special to her. If she could not have been a nurse, she would have loved to work with eggs. It had been her second choice in life.

The egg wiggled and cracked further, before finally bursting open, flinging egg shell shards all over the place. The little Vulpix inside was a fighter, this much was sure from the way he survived the crack and the way he hatched. Some Pokémon just gently crawled outside or had to be broken out, but not this one.

After blinking a couple times, he opened his eyes and yawned adorably. Taking the fox in her arms, she checked him gently for any injuries or deformations. To her relief, she found none. He was quite a big boy, almost as big as grown Vulpix. His one tail was properly white and shone so brightly, it looked as if someone had brushed it all evening. It would split into more tails as he matured, which made Vulpix and their evolution very easy to determine in age in their early years.

As the Vulpix kicked off the shell shards off his blanket and curled up, Isabelle wondered about one thing. Who were its parents, as Blaine mentioned having found the egg near the geysers, and more importantly, who would raise it?


	38. 038 Ninetales

**#038 Ninetales**

 _Ninetales, the fox Pokémon. The evolved form of Vulpix. Ninetales is a very vengeful Pokémon that has been known to curse those who mistreat it. This intelligent Pokémon is able to understand human speech easily. It can live for 1,000 years, due to the energy within its nine tails, each of which is said to have a different mystical power. Observation has shown that it can swim. It can be found living in grasslands – Nurse Evergreen._

With the newly born Vulpix in her arms, Nurse Isabelle finally left the volcano after having spent days inside its small and hot chambers. For a long moment, she merely stood outside with her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the wind on her overheated skin. The Vulpix, however, soon got bored and wiggled his way out of her arms, walking his way down the path to the inn on unsteady paws, ready to conquer the world it seemed.

Scooping up Vulpix again, Isabelle headed to the area behind the inn, where some of the gym's trainers who did not have a house in Cinnabar Island lived. Several single room stone huts stood here for the seasonal trainers, opposed to the permanent trainers living in the town at the foot of the volcano. At the very least, Isabelle wished to thank the trainer who had fed her while she took care of the egg.

Izzy found him at the back exit of the inn, brushing his Vulpix. He greeted her and invited her to sit next to him on the porch. The newly born Vulpix climbed on her lap, still attached to the nurse since she had been the first thing he saw when he hatched.

As Isabelle watched silently how the trainer brushed his own Vulpix, the young one tried to coax a reply out of the older fox by mewling not unlike a kitten. Then Isabelle noticed something about the older Vulpix.

"Hey, your Vulpix only has three tales," Isabelle said. The guy, called Cain, nodded.

"That's right. Cinder – that's her name – hatched only just before the summer. She's too young to battle just yet, so Blaze, my Ninetales, nurses her until she's about a year old," Cain said. Isabelle nodded thoughtfully while smiling at the fire-inspired names.

"Could your Ninetales take this Vulpix? Blaine said the egg was alone, and I cannot raise him myself. He should stay with the gym, I think. That is, if you're okay with raising another Vulpix."

"That's an excellent idea!" Cain exclaimed. "Blaze sure wouldn't mind. She's still nursing this one, after all." He jumped up, with Ember in his arms. "Oh, ehm … is it alright if I take that Vulpix from you, then? I mean … it's not yours…" The poor guy looked so embarrassed to be even asking such a thing, making Isabelle laugh.

"You have to confirm this with Blaine. Vulpix was born in his gym, so technically it's his? But I am okay with it. Aren't you, Vulpix?"

"Vul!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

As they headed over to where the nursing Pokémon rested, Cain explained he lived in one of the stone huts. Having come here with an egg and an overprotective Ninetales, he could not be of any use fighting for the gym, so Blaine appointed him the cook of the inn when Cain asked for a job. Luckily for him, he said, he loved cooking. Isabelle smiled at him and thanked him for cooking for her, only just realising she had wanted to thank him in the first place. It had been delicious, she said.

In one of the buildings that reminded her of a stable, barks and neighs could be heard from the several Pokémon inside. A soft cry came from the box they were headed to, causing Cinder to squirm and dash inside. By the time Cain and Izzy arrived, the fox was already nestled comfortably underneath Blaze's nine tails as Ninetales lounged in the box.

Isabelle knelt in front of the two and set the young, male Vulpix on his paws in front of them. Giving him a tiny nudge, she encouraged him to go to them. Standing at the arch of the door, Cain and Izzy watched anxiously to see if he would be accepted in the little family.

Blaze, the Ninetales, sniffed the newborn for a long minute before licking his snout. She pulled him near with her front paw and licked his head and snout vigorously. Isabelle could breathe again. She smiled at Cain and whispered, "If Blaine is okay with it, you have yourself a new member of the family."

Later in the evening, Isabelle said goodbye to Blaine and Cain on the porch of the inn. Blaine heavily tried to convince Isabelle to stay longer; surely, Vulpix is too young to be left behind, but Isabelle convinced him Vulpix would be in good hands under the excellent care of Cain's Ninetales.

"Come back soon, then!" Blaine told her as Isabelle waved goodbye, walking down the road. "E-mail me!"

Taking the boat back to the mainland, Isabelle regretted a tiny little that she could not have enjoyed the island a bit more, but hatching an egg had been nearly as good for her soul as time off would have been.


	39. 039 Jigglypuff

**#039 Jigglypuff**

 _Jigglypuff, the balloon Pokémon. Jigglypuff uses its eyes to mesmerize opponents. Once it achieves this, it will inflate its lungs and begin to sing a soothing lullaby. If the opponent resists falling asleep, Jigglypuff will endanger its own life by continuing to sing until its lungs run out of air. It is able to adjust the wavelength of its voice to match the brain waves of someone in a deep sleep. This helps ensure drowsiness in its opponents. Jigglypuff can mostly be found in lush green plains and grassy meadows – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle spent most of the boat ride from Cinnabar Island out on the deck. It was a lovely day with only the slightest breath of wind and just enough sun not to feel cold. Pidgeotto flew with her alongside the boat, cawing in delight. Wartortle could have joined them as well, but she didn't want to risk leaving the turtle behind. Izzy wasn't sure if the little lady was willing to swim quite that fast. When the boat reached the harbour of Kanto mainland, Isabelle was one of the first ones to disembark.

Before doing anything else, Isabelle merely walked through town to get used to the change of motion. Having stood on the deck of a boat for several hours, her body still thought the ground was rocking in waves.

While the blond nurse was walking around, she found a kid sitting glumly at the playground in front of the Pokémon centre. There, he watched the trainers go in and out with their Pokémon, either chatting happily or with concerned looks on their faces. For a while, Isabelle simply leant against the monkey bars the gloomy kid was sitting on, silently.

"It's not fair," the kid eventually mumbled, signalling to Isabelle he wished to open up.

"What is?" Izzy merely asked in a soft voice, not looking at the boy yet. She kept her eyes on a young trainer who tried to convince his Beedrill to go in his Pokéball.

"I want to have a Pokémon, too."

"So, why don't you catch one?" Such a simple question yet the answer was rarely this simple.

"Dad won't allow me. He says it's too dangerous. That Pokémon are too dangerous. That I'm not grown up enough to tame a wild Pokémon."

Isabelle looked at the boy. He didn't look that young, maybe something like nine years old.

"You do not have to catch and tame a Pokémon in order to have one, you know?" The blond nurse said. That got the kid's attention.

"Really?!" His entire body language changed. From a slumped 'I hate the world' aura, he now seemed so much brighter. Isabelle smiled at him and nodded.

"The Pokémon centre has a shelter. Nothing big enough to have its own building, but occasionally Pokémon are brought in that cannot return to the wild. Either they've been abandoned or cannot fend for themselves anymore. Shelter Pokémon rarely are good fighters, but I doubt you want a Pokémon to fight with." Isabelle looked at him thoughtfully.

The boy shook his head so violently that he shook off his cap.

"No ma'am. I just want a friend. To play with and feed and have fun with."

Isabelle smiled, recognising her own young self in the kid. She wished to have a friend just like that when she was younger. She could play with the Pokémon in the centre, but it was never the same as having one for herself.

Standing up straight again and getting out of the sandpit, Isabelle held out her hand.

"Come on, then. Let's ask your father and then see if Joy has a friend just for you." The child was skipping in joy, holding Isabelle's hand, as they entered the Pokémon centre. Nurse Joy behind the counter recognised Izzy (almost every Joy did, by now) and greeted her kindly.

"Hey there, Isabelle! Would you like to have a room? I have one free with a view of the sea." Isabelle smiled at the pink-haired nurse.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I just came from Cinnabar and am not staying here tonight. It's only morning. I've got something different today. Do you have any adoptable Pokémon, by any chance?"

Nurse Joy looked down into the hopeful eyes of the sandy-haired kid, recognising him as the merchant's son.

"For Jacky, I presume? I have two. The first one is an old Nidoking, which I doubt is suitable. But the second one might be just right." Nurse Joy said, mostly to Jacky. Then she looked at Izzy and said: "Long term treating room 5."

Isabelle thanked her and headed over to said room, wondering what could be in there that Joy thought suitable for the boy. Opening the door with the master key card every nurse had, they headed inside. Meanwhile, in the lobby, Joy rang Jacky's father to let the man know his boy was playing with the shelter Pokémon under supervision of a nurse.

On the table in the middle of the room sat a pink Pokémon. Isabelle recognised it immediately and cocked her head to the side. Surely, this wasn't a suitable Pokémon for a young boy? As Jacky rested his forearms and chin on the bed, Isabelle headed over for the description on this Pokémon.

"Jigglypuff," Isabelle read out loud. "While normally hard to handle because of their tendency to sing, this male Jigglypuff has been born without much of a voice, the previous trainer said when she left it behind here. Jigglypuff is unable to cause anyone to fall asleep with his voice."

Hearing the nurse's voice, Jigglypuff woke up. With his appealing, large eyes, he glanced down at the child that looked up at him adoringly. Feeling his ego stroked, Jiggly puffed himself up and got ready to sing, but all he managed to bring out was a "Jiii~", it being only the first note of his characteristic song. However, the pitch was much too low to be effective, so he deflated, sadly, and turned his back on the two humans in the room.

"So, Jacky. This Jigglypuff is up for adoption. He seems a bit sad, doesn't he? As you heard, he doesn't sing and, therefore, is unable to do many attacks. Be careful, it can slap you, though, but this Jiggly doesn't seem aggressive." Isabelle stroked the poor balloon Pokémon over his head, causing it to purr as deeply as any cat would. "What do you think? Want to keep it company today?"

"I love it!" Jacky shouted, startling Jigglypuff. Behind them, the door slid opened, revealing Nurse Joy and two people Isabelle did not recognise. Who they were wasn't hard to find out, since Jacky answered that for her. "Mom! Dad!" He held up the Jigglypuff in his hands above his head. Because Jigglypuff are basically air, they did not weigh a lot. "Can I puh-lease have this Pokémon?"

After a lot of begging by Jacky, explanation by Nurse Joy, and discussing between the parents, the male Jigglypuff finally had a new place to call home. Joy told Isabelle later she had called the parents as soon as the two of them were gone, having had a feeling Jacky would want to adopt the Pokémon. As the family walked out of the Pokémon centre, being one of the happy people Jacky used to envy, Isabelle and Joy high-fived each other. Another success story. It was good being a nurse. They could hear the Jigglypuff humming some melody for a while.

"I never knew that a Jigglypuff could have so low a voice. Not very effective, but it's kind of charming, isn't it?'

Nurse Joy nodded in agreement. "I'm just glad we found it a new home, thanks to you. Did you hear? A few rangers came by recently and they adopted a bunch of Pokémon, saying they would train them for duty. There was this one guy, tall with a dark beard, who was incredibly charming. He even cooked for all of us."

Isabelle unlocked her phone and searched for a photo Dominic had sent her recently. "Who, him?" She asked, as she showed the photo to Joy.

"Yes! Do you know him?'

Izzy smiled bashfully. "A bit. We've been texting."

Joy's cheering made her blush even harder.


	40. 040 Wigglytuff

**#040 Wigglytuff**

 _Wigglytuff, the balloon Pokémon. The evolved form of Jigglypuff. It is covered in pink fur with a white underbelly and ear tips. This fine layer of fur is so soft that those who touch it, including other Wigglytuff, will not want to stop. Its body is soft and rubbery, allowing it to inflate by inhaling. While it is inflated, it is able to move by bouncing or floating. Wigglytuff can be found in vivid green plains and grassy fields. – Nurse Evergreen._

On some days, it was quiet. No new emails from researchers needing a hand, nothing from the rangers with whom she's been working closely with. On those days, she trained. Her entire team was called out of their Pokéballs and they would stay together all day. They ran laps around town, joined by the occasional Pidgey or Rattata. They would jog up and down stairs, even Pidgeotto had to hop. Then they did specialised training. While Izzy worked with dumbbells, following an entire regime made for her, the Pokémon had their specialised training. Ivysaur worked on his body strength, lifting heavy objects with his vines, dragging them along and even lifting himself off the ground by his vines. Wartortle dove into the river, swimming against the current, retrieving balls that Izzy and Ivysaur threw at her, and even holding as many up as she could using her water gun. Even Pidgeotto wasn't spared. He had to fly around town, carrying Ivysaur. Not because Ivy was the heaviest (that was Wartortle with her glossy shell) but because the grass-type wanted it so much. Pidgeotto couldn't quite lift Izzy yet with a carrying cloth. Twice his weight was apparently still too much for him.

The sun had set quite a while ago when Isabelle and her team were getting ready for bed. They'd gotten a four person, bunk bed room, so each of her Pokémon could have their own bed for once. On the two bottom beds, Ivysaur and Wartortle would be staying. Ivysaur was already asleep under the bed Isabelle would sleep on before the young nurse finished brushing Wartortle's tail. Brushing her own long hair through, Isabelle looked at Pidgeotto through the mirror, who stood watch on the other top bunk. Her lips curled into a smile when she saw his eyes drooping. It's been a long day for them all.

As Isabelle absentmindedly brushed through her blond hair, she heard voices outside her door. It was faint, but she'd recognise one of those voices anywhere. Putting down her brush, Isabelle swung a robe over her Raichu pyjamas and headed outside. Her bare feet made no noise on the tiles of the Pokémon centre they were staying in.

In the main lobby of the centre, a girl stood with her back towards Izzy, talking to both Nurse Joy and a pinkish Pokémon that stood on the ground. Walking up to the smaller woman, Izzy placed one hand on her hip and said in her best authoritative voice:

"So, where have you been?"

Izzy nearly got a mouthful of afro when the other girl leapt into the air, startled. Turning around, she launched herself at Izzy with a shriek, hugging her tightly. Grinning, Isabelle hugged her back.

"It's been a while, Wendy Foxglove."

Later, Isabelle and Wendy sat in the canteen of the Pokémon centre, sipping a mug of hot cocoa. The golden blonde spoke all about her Pokémon which she had partnered up with since the start of her journey, while Wendy introduced her to her own Pokémon, Wigglytuff. The balloon Pokémon obediently sat on Wendy's lap as she explained that she'd adopted it for their amazing ability to soothe a Pokémon. Their singing was great for calming agitated Pokémon and their fur was incredibly soft when taken care of properly. Isabelle had to agree her Wiggly looked amazing. She was so well-mannered and kind, just like Wendy. Its calm demeanour spoke of content, rather than fear or lack of intelligence. Wiggly and Wendy, Isabelle joked, causing both girls to giggle.

Then, on a more serious note, Isabelle told her of her own life. Of how hard it was to keep on travelling, always looking for Pokémon in trouble. How she started visiting the gyms to make sure they treat their Pokémon properly. And Isabelle told Wendy that she had met someone. That certainly got the gentle girl's attention.

"His name is Dominic. I met him and his Raichu recently, near Bill's lighthouse." Isabelle sighed as she thought of him.

"He has a Raichu?" Wendy asked, nodding towards the pyjamas Izzy was wearing, depicting the same Pokémon.

"Just a coincidence!"

"Yeah, right. You don't sound so happy, though" Wendy said.

"It's just that I'm very conflicted. I really like him. He makes me laugh and eases whatever burden I'm carrying at the moment…"

"But…?"

"But it'd be impossible to date him, you know. I hardly even see him. I won't settle down. I'll keep on being a travelling nurse until I can walk no more. That's hardly ideal to date a guy."

"But you said he's a traveller, too, right? A ranger? It could work out when your paths cross and maybe even travel together if he doesn't mind."

Isabelle nodded slowly, mumbling something affirmative. It may work but she still worried about a dozen other things.

"Don't you dare! I see you doing that," Wendy interrupted her.

"Do what?" Izzy took a sip of her cooling cocoa.

"Overthinking things. It'll work out and if not, then he's not the guy for you. You don't need a man, you know?"

After talking a bit more, the nurses hugged and said goodbye. Wendy would be staying in a different room. Isabelle knelt down to hug Wigglytuff, too. A friend of Wendy's is a friend of hers.

"Follow your heart, Isa."

After that bit of advice, given by Wendy, they both headed to their own rooms to get some sleep.


	41. 041 Zubat

**#041 Zubat**

 _Zubat, the bat Pokémon. Zubat live in abundance in caves. It has evolved to have neither eyes nor nostrils, instead navigating through dark environments with echolocation. As demonstrated in research, it will leave its abode at night with a mass of other Zubat in order to seek prey. During the daytime, Zubat sleeps hanging upside down in caves, forests, or under the eaves of old buildings, avoiding sunlight at all costs. Daylight harms Zubat, and prolonged exposure can even burn its skin. However, captured and trained Zubat have been recorded as being much more tenacious in the daytime, even when directly exposed to sunbeams – Nurse Evergreen._

It was a beautiful, warm day, the comfortable kind only autumn could have. The first truly warm one since Nurse Isabelle left Cinnabar island. So, to make the most of it, she found a grassy clearing with plenty of sun and shade. Mainland Kanto was less densely populated than Cinnabar island, and its forests were largely untouched, quite possibly due to the dangerous Pokémon living in there. Finding a quiet spot for lunch was therefore not too hard. She released her Pokémon to enjoy the weather with her, as was her custom.

Pidgeotto, her medical bird, immediately took off to soar the cloudless skies with his mighty wings. Wartortle lounged in the shade, in a good mood for the first time in a while. Ivysaur sought the sunniest spot on the field and laid down to nap there. With how often he sought the sun, Isabelle wondered whether he was getting ready to evolve. A Venusaur might be a bit unwieldy big, but his strength would increase. A fourth member of the party would be great as well, though she didn't quite know who to pick.

After a while, Pidgeotto called out for her, swooping down to get her attention. It appeared he had found something he desperately wished her to see. Glancing at her Pokémon, she decided not to call them back. She did wake Ivysaur and asked Wartortle to come with her. The three of them followed Pidgeotto, two of them grudgingly.

Whatever Pidgeotto found, it wasn't far. The trees thinned as they neared the mountain, making the reason for her bird's insistence clear. A Zubat flew around outside, making his little 'kst'ing sounds. The poor thing seemed to be so confused among the scarce trees, flying back and forth in a frantic manner. It seemed to be too far away from the mountainside to find the cave back. What was worse is that his blue skin was turning red-purplish; he was getting a sunburn! Untrained bats could not take sunlight, as this unfortunate one proved.

"Ivy, could you catch it for me with your vines? Gently, please," Nurse Isabelle asked calmly. Zubat were pretty speedy, so she could be unable to catch it in the way she might have been able to sneak upon a Pidgey or a Spearow. Pidgeotto distracted the Zubat and Ivysaur was able to slip his vines around his tiny body. The Zubat didn't like this one bit, flapping in an even more frantic manner, screeching out.

"I'm sorry, little one! Wartortle, gently douse it a little with your water. Let's cool it down," Isabelle ordered, and thankfully, Wartortle obliged. The Zubat cooled down a little, both literally and figuratively, when he was soaked. The vines must have been painful against the sunburns. Then Isabelle took the miserable bat from Ivysaur, folded his wings around him, and cradled him against her body. Helpful Pidgeotto had already guessed what she was going to do and located the entrance to the cave in the mountain. His intelligence astounded Izzy sometimes.

As Isabelle entered the cave with the Zubat in her arms, she noticed that many Zubat were hovering near the entrance, as if worried for their kin but not willing to leave the safety of their cave. Quite a lot of them accompanied her as Isabelle walked inside, bring their kin home. It was a beautiful moment, to have an honour guard of Zubat. The bats really weren't as annoying as most thought they were. Just a bit protective of their home.


	42. 042 Golbat

**#042 Golbat**

 _Golbat, the bat Pokémon. The evolved form of Zubat. It feeds on the blood of both Pokémon and humans, and is capable of drinking over 300 ml of blood in one sitting. Golbat drinks so much blood, that its blood type will change to that of its victim following a feed. It is also gluttonous, occasionally gorging itself to the extent that it becomes too heavy to fly. Golbat is nocturnal, and can be found quite easily in caves – Nurse Evergreen._

For the nurses with the ambition of working outside of first aid Pokémon care, extra degrees had been made available. Similar to Nurse Isabelle's decision to become a field nurse some of her colleagues had specialized in Pokémon psychology or therapy. Today, Isabelle stayed at a Pokémon centre where a Joy worked with a degree in echolocation. There were few nurses technical enough for it, so patients sometimes had to travel for hours to be treated. Echolocation was the practice of using supersonic waves to inspect the insides of a Pokémon without having to perform surgery, using Zubat. Isabelle didn't understand much of it, but judging from the fact people travelled from all over Kanto to get treatment, both humans and Pokémon, Izzy assumed it worked really well.

In order to pass on the knowledge, the Joy with the Zubat was currently training some other nurses. From the ten nurses that started, only six were still taking classes. Some dropped out because they found it boring or too hard, others were forced to quit because their grades weren't satisfactory. Isabelle felt a bit bad for them, but getting her own degree and official permission to be a travelling nurse had been just as tough. She still had to submit reports and was expected to hand in a final project at the end of the year, next summer. While she had a vague idea, she didn't have anything concrete yet and hadn't started drafting it yet.

Sitting in the back of the class, watching the echoscopy Joy teach, Izzy recognised her as one of her old classmates. After class, they'd have to catch up, she decided. Isabelle had Pidgeotto on her lap and was stroking the bird casually as she listened to the lecture. Joy had a Butterfree out, who could also learn supersonic. However, as she demonstrated, it wasn't as powerful as Zubat's supersonic and vital injuries could be missed because of this. She showed on her computer that not the full picture of Jigglypuff on the table could be seen. However, it seemed to be able to focus more clearly on a much smaller area, which could be useful for diagnosis.

Suddenly one of the girls stood up. She pulled a Pokéball from her bag and summoned forth a Pokémon. When the light subsided, a Golbat was flying around in the classroom. Isabelle shuddered. There was something about that poisonous, blood-sucking bat that freaked her out. It had its uses, helping to reduce blood pressure so that the heart didn't have to pump as powerfully. However, it was considered an outdated form of medicine.

"I'm sure Golbat is strong enough! We'll be able to see even more!" The girl seemed so excited about her idea. However, the Joy teaching wasn't so thrilled.

"Megan, no! Don't –"

"Golbat! Supersonic!" Megan ordered, pointing dramatically at the Jigglypuff.

Then, there was complete pandemonium. Golbat's supersonic was too powerful for the laptop, causing it to explode loudly, scaring all occupants of the classroom, including Isabelle and Pidgeotto. The supersonic hit the Jigglypuff who, with this added dose, became completely confused. Startled and confused, she got frightened and started crying so loudly everyone had to cover their ears, even drowning out Pidgeotto's squawks. The fire from the blasted laptop caused the sprinklers to go off, so everyone got wet, too.

Needless to say, for such reckless behaviour, Megan was asked to leave the premises and return next year if she still wished to become specialised in ultrasound.

Far away from all this chaos, Ivysaur and Wartortle were walking around the Pokémon centre. Isabelle had tied a white bow around Ivy's and Wartortle's neck to indicate they are already with a trainer. The colour didn't matter, as long as there was a sign a human cared for it.

In the lobby, a trainer sat with her Pokémon. While Ivysaur struck a conversation with the Vulpix, Wartortle inspected the trainer. She was a gorgeous, elegant lady. Her hair was the colour of Vulpix's coat and curled in a similar manner. She wore a black cocktail dress and black velvet pumps. Her Vulpix looked just as beautiful. Healthy, well-mannered, poised, and perfectly groomed. Ivysaur saw Wartortle looking longingly at the duo and ran off to get Izzy.

When Isabelle came into the lobby, soaking wet with a towel around her shoulders, she found her Wartortle on the lady's lap. The bow had been discarded, laying uselessly on the ground. The lady was polishing Wartortle's shell with an expensive looking wax. Feeling a bit jealous, Isabelle looked at the wealthy lady. While she seemed so perfect, Isabelle looked rather ragged; she was wet, her hair was messy, her shoes a bit muddy, and her clothing of mere cotton. Still, Isabelle straightened her back and approached the lady with a smile.

"Hey there. Your Vulpix looks gorgeous, but I do believe that's my Wartortle,"

The woman in black did not look up, keeping on grooming Izzy's water type.

"Ehm, excuse me?" Isabelle tried again.

"I heard you the first time. How could you possibly let your Wartortle get so filthy?"

Insulted, Isabelle frowned at her. "I take good care of my Pokémon, thank you very much. I just travel a lot and they do get a little dirty from that, but I groom them regularly."

"Well, you're doing a lousy job. Pokémon can be so much prettier when you spend enough time and money on them." Something about the way this lady spoke annoyed Isabelle to no end.

"That may be your opinion, but my job, and therefore Wartortle's, isn't to be pretty. Wartortle, come. We have work to do" To Isabelle's utter surprise and astonishment, Wartortle shook her head and turned her shield on her. "Wartortle!" Isabelle exclaimed, indignant as the lady laughed at her. With her cheeks coloured with shame, Isabelle recalled Wartortle to her ball, which she could not escape. Followed by snide remarks on how she supposedly raises her Pokémon, Isabelle stomped off, followed by abashed-looking Pidgeotto and Ivysaur.

Later, as her humiliation and anger cooled, Isabelle got to thinking. She sent a message to her dear friend Wendy to ask advice on the matter. What if her Pokémon did not wish to live this life?


	43. 043 Oddish

**#043 Oddish**

 _Oddish, the weed Pokémon. Known by the scientific name Oddium Wanderus, Oddish lives in grasslands. A nocturnal Pokémon, Oddish buries its sensitive body in the ground during the day to avoid the sun and fool predators. If it's pulled out by its leaves in this state, it will respond by shrieking horribly. It starts to move when its leaves begin absorbing moonlight, which it uses to grow. Oddish will wander up to 300 meters during the night to scatter its seeds and find a nutrient-rich patch of soil in which to plant itself. The more fertile the earth, the glossier its leaves will be. It is thought that its feet become like tree roots while planted – Nurse Evergreen._

On a gorgeous autumn day, Isabelle and the other aspirant nurses were chattering excitedly in the few minutes they had before their class would start. They pulled on their gloves and wrapped their scarves around their necks since they would be working outside.

Wearing a warm, woollen sweater with several Butterfree on them, Isabelle was one of the first to be outside. She observed their assignment as the leaves wiggled above the ground. It'd be winter soon, and the Oddish needed to be put into pots inside or else they'd freeze to death. Grass types didn't like ice much. While some of the girls, childishly, pulled up their noses at having to dig in the soil, Isabelle was rather pleased with the task. She liked Oddish. Their little squeaks and optimism never ceased to make her smile.

Inside, in the greenhouse, lots of flower pots were on the ground, in which the Oddish would have to be placed. The objective was simple, the elderly Joy said; pull up an Oddish by its leaves, gently, carry it inside, place it in a pot, and cover it with the fertilised soil from the bags. The girls were warned that the Oddish did not like being pulled up since the earth was warm and the outside air was rather chilly. It was for their own good, however.

As Isabelle knelt near the foliage, she smiled at Wendy Foxglove who immediately chose the wiggling leaves next to Izzy's. The girl's cheeks and nose were pinkish with cold, but her eyes were glistening like seasonal lights. General Pokémon care was something Wendy excelled at. She didn't have the ambition to specialise to one area.

At Joy's command, Isabelle gently wrapped her hands around what she hoped were Oddish's leaves. It'd be rather embarrassing to pull up carrots or something similar. It sounded like something the elderly Joy would think of, having a secret test whether her students could even recognise Oddish from carrots. Next to her, Wendy did not pull hard enough and did not manage to extract the weed Pokémon from the ground. Isabelle was a bit firmer in her handling and soon she held a squealing, blue Pokémon by its leaves in the air. It kicked out its little feet as it screamed its lungs out. Surprised by the sheer volume, Isabelle nearly dropped it, but managed to hold on. Sending Wendy a quick smile, she wrapped her arms around the dirty Pokémon and hurried inside.

Kneeling yet again on the ground, Isabelle placed the Oddish in a large, Raichu-orange pot. Holding her left hand on its head, Isabelle scooped handfuls of soil into the pot to subdue it. Only when its head was no longer visible, it finally stopped squealing. Sighing in relief, Isabelle wiped her forehead and flashed a grin at the Joy that was grading them, receiving a kind smile and nod in return. That particular Joy had long pink hair, reaching her hips. It was a different look than she was used to, but one that suited her wonderfully.

As Isabelle was covering her Oddish, Wendy came in with her own. This one was particularly big, explaining why Wendy had trouble pulling it out and had a low, throaty cry, like an adult man's. Its cry was so odd, her friend could not stop giggling as she tried to find the biggest flowerpot around. Since Wendy would be okay, Isabelle stood in the door opening to the greenhouse to watch how her classmates were doing.

One of her classmates was messing up pretty badly. How it happened, Izzy did not know, but she had been bitten by the toothless Oddish, dropped it, and was now chasing it all over the yard. Oddish were pretty fast, or at least, this one was. Along with the other girls, Isabelle laughed as she saw the flustered young Joy run after a frantically screaming Oddish. These were the kind of memories Isabelle had of her time at the nursing school.


	44. 044 Gloom

**#044 Gloom**

 _Gloom, the weed Pokémon. The evolved form of Oddish. It trickles sticky nectar from its mouth with the appearance and consistency of drool. This can be used as a fertilizer for plants. Both this nectar and the flower on Gloom's head release a foul odour strong enough to induce fainting in humans over a mile away. However, it can also attract prey, and even a very small number of humans find it pleasing. This odour is a key ingredient for some perfume production. When it is in danger, the odour worsens, but it will not emit its odour if it feels safe. Gloom lives in grassy plains – Nurse Evergreen._

In a world so focussed around Pokémon, special accommodations are made for them. The most commonly known institute is the Pokémon centre, but there are also Pokémon spas, Pokémon hotels, and even Pokémon playgrounds. It's at one such playground that Isabelle finds herself. Pidgeotto felt like challenging himself against other Pokémon, and Ivysaur wanted to play. On benches all around, the trainers are sitting, bragging about their Pokémon while they play on slides and monkey bars, unbothered by their trainers.

For her blog, Isabelle snapped a few pictures and made a video of Ivysaur on the swings, which was like a huge basket for Pokémon to sit in.

Isabelle saw that while most trainers looked pleased, one did not. A girl stood a bit away from the others, keeping her distance from a Gloom that stood near her. As Izzy approached, she saw that the girl was about fifteen years old and the Gloom obviously belonged to her from the way it was staring at the dark-haired girl.

"Hey there," Isabelle greeted kindly. The girl merely gave her a quick smile and looked away again, not looking at her Gloom. Only then did Izzy notice the odour that came from the Gloom. "Oh wow. Hello there, Gloom. What got you so upset?" Gloom only smelled like this when not feeling safe or when being upset because of sickness for example. It was, therefore, a legit cause to be concerned.

"Hey, your Gloom smells a little. What's wrong with it? Is it scared of the other Pokémon?" Isabelle nudged her head to the playground where a Sandshrew was just sliding down the slide with a delighted squee. The girl shook her head.

"The other Pokémon don't want to play with her. She stinks," The girl said, bitterly.

Isabelle rose to her full height, crossed her arms over her chest, and frowned. While the girl's attitude annoyed her some, Izzy had to restrain herself because she's been like this too as a teenager, according to her mother.

"Can you tell me about yourself and your Gloom?" With an exasperated sigh, the girl sat down on a stone bench and stared at the adorable Charmander stumbling around in the sand. The little fire type was rather young, so it still preferred to crawl rather than walk.

"I'm Rebecca. I used to have an Oddish, who was the cutest ever. She was so playful and affectionate. Everyone loved her. I couldn't wait for her to fully evolve, you know, but I forgot that she had an evolution before that..." Rebecca said it with a sneer on her face, which made her look rather ugly. Gloom flinched as well, hiding herself behind her hands with the logic that if she couldn't see, she couldn't be seen.

"What kind of awful trainer are you?" Isabelle demanded to know in a harsh tone. The girl looked up, startled at the angry nurse. "This Gloom is still your affectionate Oddish, you know? Their personalities don't usually change when their bodies do. Gloom is upset because you don't love her anymore. This much is clear. If you show Gloom the love you showed Oddish, she'll even smell nice. And when both of you are ready, she'll evolve again. Not a day before that."

Rebecca stared at Isabelle dumbstruck. Then, after a minute of staring at each other, the dark-haired girl turned around and faced Gloom. Hesitantly, she opened her arms as an invite to a hug. After an unsure glance at Izzy which was received with a reassuring nod, Gloom rushed forward into the hug, exclaiming excitedly. As the two hugged, the stench faded away. Gloom did not smell as nice as Izzy's Ivysaur just yet, but they were getting there.

"Don't judge a Pokémon on its looks or scent. Gloom loves you very much, Rebecca." And with that, Isabelle left them alone.

Pidgeotto carried a sleeping Ivysaur back to her in one of a carrier cloth she had sewn for him. It served as a bandana any other day, but when needed, he could take it off, unfold it, and get a Pokémon in there. Sometimes, it really amazed her how intelligent her bird was.


	45. 045 Vileplume

**#045 Vileplume**

 _Vileplume, the flower Pokémon. The evolved form of Gloom and the final evolution of Oddish. Vileplume's flower is said to have the largest petals in the world, and is almost too heavy for the Pokémon itself to support. It can shake, flap, or burst its petals into bloom with a bang in order to release clouds of pollen. This pollen is highly allergenic to humans and toxic to other Pokémon; Vileplume uses it to paralyze its prey. Vileplume lives in grassy plains, where it is often mistaken for native flowers – Nurse Evergreen._

Back in her hometown of Celadon City, Nurse Isabelle was doing some shopping for herself. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure of hers. She kept her body in a good shape and enjoyed trying on new clothing. She'd already bought a new shirt and a new pair of trousers, and was currently in a perfume shop. The wonderful fragrances that had enticed her inside also made Izzy contemplate buying one. It'd been a while since she'd bought herself a gift, at least, one like this. As she was inspecting the delicate bottles, she saw that the scents came from Pokémon. One she especially liked was made of a Vileplume; one she knew well. It was Celadon City's Gym Leader Erika's Vileplume. "A Vileplume? Her little Oddish has evolved, hm?"

Seeing the name Erika made her stomach leap. Having grown up here, she and Erika had been close friends, since their mothers had done a lot of business together when they were younger. Wasting no time, Isabelle put the bottle back on the shelf and hurried out of the shop to rush to Celadon Gym, earning her an unamused look from the shop owner who hadn't been able to make a sale, even though Izzy didn't notice.

One of the advantages of being a nurse was that people got out of the way when they saw one running. People assumed it was an emergency. So when Isabelle ran towards the entrance of Celadon Gym, the ladies that were the gym trainers immediately opened the door for her to allow her in. Isabelle couldn't be bothered to stop and explain. She just wished to see her good friend.

In the middle of the garden, near a gorgeous pond, a young lady sat in traditional eastern garments. Next to her, sitting on the ground with her petals on the lady's lap, sat a Vileplume. Rather than a deep red, this Vileplume's petals were closer to orange, a shade it also had before it evolved.

"Your Oddish sure grew up, Eri," Isabelle said, grinning as she placed her hands on her hips. The black-haired lady looked up, startled at first but then ecstatic.

"Izzy! Oh my goodness, is it actually you?" Her voice, ever soft, was like music to Isabelle's ears. The girls embraced and then sat down on the stone bench Erika had been sitting on. Because this was a gorgeous garden, Izzy let loose her own Pokémon. Pigeotto could fly around, Wartortle enjoyed the pure water of the pond, and Ivysaur napped in the shade, enjoying the scent of an actual garden for once. His own flower became much more fragrant, despite still being in a bud.

"So, you took over the gym now, hm? No more a mere trainer here?" Isabelle asked. "How's your mother?"

"Indeed I am. She's well. At home, taking care of Pokémon that get injured in the battles here. Instead of leaving them at the Pokémon centre, they get nursed back to health at her place. Remember that garden we used to play in? It's bigger now, rivalling the gym's. Your mum goes there regularly, too." Isabelle chuckled and nodded.

"Yes, that does sound like Mother. At the lack of grandchildren, she fully focussed her doting attention on Pokémon. Eri, Dad would be so proud of you. You were like a daughter to him."

Erika smiled, looking away for a moment to stroke her Vileplume, who then checked out the strange Ivysaur that came with Izzy.

"So, what do you do now? I haven't seen you around after you graduated."

"I'm a field nurse now. Did some courses for it, am writing a master thesis. I travel around Kanto to take care of injured or sick wild Pokémon, or do house calls." Isabelle showed her badge proudly. Erika seemed impressed with her childhood friend. "Anyway, I was at a perfume store and found a bottle of Vileplume perfume. I recognised this beauty here," Izzy stroked the petals of the Vileplume sitting near them, who turned all bashful. "… and I immediately made my way over here. I had to see you. I forgot all about that perfume, though. What a shame, and it smelled so nice." Isabelle rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Oh, I know something to remedy that! I have a few experimental bottles around here. If you like any of those, they're my gift to you, as long as you check out my Pokémon from time to time."

"Deal," Izzy said with a grin. "You know I'll always help out. That's what we're friends for."

"When are you going to your mum?"

Izzy sighed. "Tonight. I promised her I'd join her for dinner. She's working right now and doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Yes, that does sound like her. I can tell you, she hasn't mellowed with age."


	46. 046 Paras

**#046 Paras**

 _Paras, the mushroom Pokémon. Red-and-yellow mushrooms known as tochukaso grow on this Pokémon's back. The mushrooms can be removed at any time, and grow from spores that are doused on this Pokémon's back at birth by the mushroom on its mother's back. Tochukaso are parasitic in nature, drawing their nutrients from the host body in order to grow and exerting some command over the Pokémon's actions. For example, Paras drains nutrients from tree roots due to commands from the mushrooms. The mushrooms are also popular among collectors and have medicinal uses, usually involving extended life. It is shown that Paras can often be found in caves. However, it can also thrive in damp forests with high amounts of humidity where conditions are ideal for fungi – Nurse Evergreen._

Despite trying to, Nurse Isabelle is unable to sleep in the Pokémon centre every night. Tonight was such a case. In a tiny village whose name she did not know, Izzy knocked on the door of a house in a calm and quiet street. She wasn't even sure if the village had a name. A hand-painted sign told people that this was a 'Bed and Breakfast', which was basically a place to spend the night, grab some breakfast and be on your way again. With so many kids trying to become a Pokémon master, these businesses popped up everywhere.

An old lady opened the door. It was the kind of elderly woman that had obviously raised quite a few children and hadn't been able to quell the desire to take care of others, Izzy assumed from the fact she held a Bed and Breakfast. While some adopted Pokémon, others did something like this. Isabelle bowed her head respectfully.

"Good evening, ma'am. Is it true you provide bed and breakfast services? My Pokémon and I are weary from travel," The smile on the lady's face caused the corners of Izzy's mouth the curl up as well.

"Oh yes! Please, come in! We even have some supper left, if you're hungry." The lady spied the badges on her backpack and the official badge on her hip. "A Pokémon nurse? A genuine one? Oh my goodness." The woman looked absolutely ecstatic. She turned around as if preparing to call for someone, only to deflate a little when she assumedly realised there was no one to call for.

"Yes, ma'am. I graduated last summer and am travelling around Kanto to find my place. I assure you, my Pokémon are very well behaved. They'd sleep so much better if I could let them out of their balls. Is that okay with you, ma'am?" Isabelle asked as she headed inside, accepting the offer of supper. It was obvious the woman was lonely, so Izzy would do her best to make this a good evening for her.

"Oh, please, let them out. It's been so long since I heard their little paws over the ground. They're little, right? My house can't take a Charizard or Fearow." Isabelle smiled and assured her they weren't as big as those. Opening their balls, she introduced the lady to Ivysaur, Wartortle, and Pidgeotto.

As they all ate supper in the lady's kitchen, listening to Madame Umberta's life story, Izzy noticed Wartortle did not look at her. Like a sulking child, she ate her food silently and then inched away from her teammates, who were chattering lively. The lady spoiled them by offering them homemade Pokémon food. Maybe the Vulpix's owner at the previous Pokémon centre they had stayed at still haunted her. After all, compared to that Vulpix, a stranger's house in the middle of nowhere offering rustic-looking food wasn't quite the lap of luxury.

"So, tomorrow is our annual festival, and we'd be so honoured if a genuine Pokémon nurse could be there! There will be a competition and if you could be in the jury, everyone would accept the results. After all, you're the expert," Madame Umberta suddenly said, in an excited manner. "Unlike last time," she muttered, which was probably not meant for Izzy's ears.

Isabelle smiled, a bit uncomfortably. She hadn't quite intended on staying her for another full day. "If I could repay you for your kindness by evaluating Pokémon well-being, then it'd be my pleasure."

Unfortunately for Izzy, those were quite some famous last words. The over-excitement of the villagers made her uncomfortable as she felt she hadn't deserved such praise – she was only a graduate and nothing impressive – and by the time she was placed in a seat of honour at the jury table, she already had a migraine and wished she could just leave. But the horrors of the day had not ended yet. The competition still had to start.

"Welcome, townspeople and honoured lady Nurse, to the annual Paras competition!" The ringleader announced, causing Izzy to pale a little. Paras? Hundreds of Paras to inspect?

And yes, indeed. Hundreds of Paras. This one had slightly bigger mushrooms than the other, the other one had glossier eyes – which only meant it wasn't as possessed yet – and yet another one had a gentler voice. Red mushrooms, yellow mushrooms, even one with blue mushrooms that looked painted. Paras in all sizes, scuffling over the stage, making their little clicking noises. It was torment. It was torture!

By the time the sun set, Isabelle was relieved when she hung a medal around the winning Paras's mushrooms. She declined all offers of staying another night at the town, proclaiming to have important work to do, and left with her backpack as soon as she could. She'd rather sleep out in the open than another night in Paras town.


	47. 047 Parasect

**#047 Parasect**

 _Parasect, the mushroom Pokémon. The evolved form of Paras. The insect has been drained of nutrients and is now under the control of the fully-grown tochukaso. Parasect can thrive in dark forests with a suitable amount of humidity for growing fungi. Swarms of this Pokémon have been known to infest trees. The swarm will drain the tree of nutrients until it dies, and will then move on to a new tree – Nurse Evergreen._

With her legs crossed, Nurse Isabelle leant against a mossy, stone wall. After a very long day at a Pokémon centre where she'd worked on her master thesis, she had craved sunlight and fresh air. She'd been dragging her feet a little, feeling exhausted, when she discovered these two children in the back garden, clearly about to hold a Pokémon match. When Isabelle asked if she could join, they had run to their mother, who had been absolutely pleased to see her. So, supplied with a jug of lemonade and a platter of sandwiches, Isabelle rested down here during the kids' match.

The two children that had attracted her attention were obviously twins, around the age of 8, maybe 10. Izzy had no clue, really. Kids weren't her strong point. They even dressed perfectly similarly, aside from colour scheme. One was in a Rattata purple dress, and the other in a Paras red dress. She'd been asked a lot whether the genetically similar Joy family weirded her out. Truth was, it didn't, as many of those women had their own personalities and ways of distinguishing themselves from the rest. If anyone knew about establishing identity, it was them. No, what unsettled here were identical twins treated as if they're one entity and should therefore look and be dressed the same.

When the girls summoned forth their Pokémon, Isabelle sighed, smiling softly. Just as she had expected, they owned a Rattata and a Paras. Weak, common Pokémon for young kids wasn't such a bad idea. They weren't hard to raise and could do minimal damage to their trainers if poorly treated.

Maybe the mother had a say in it, but the Pokémon looked pretty well taken care of, in the way the mother had taken care of Izzy. The Rattata was of normal weight, which was a refreshing sight to see, after all those emaciated, wild Rattata. The Paras was okay, she guessed. She did not really look at it. There wasn't anything glaringly wrong with it, at least.

"This is the battle between Em and Cee, real names unknown. Em has chosen a Rattata. Cee will be fighting with Paras. No time limit. Begin!" Izzy announced it for them, making her smile in glee. It felt exciting to say it. As the girls set their Pokémon to each other, Isabelle thought about what their mother had said to Izzy earlier when she was given all this food.

"They've been trying so hard to make them evolve. All the kids in their class have an evolved Pokémon. So, they've been training all day and night. Can you make these Pokémon evolve?" When Isabelle had shook her head and explained that Pokémon evolve at their own time, the mother had sighed. Isabelle had been able to suggest battle experience usually helped.

So that's why the girls were having a Pokémon battle right now. It was clear Em with the Rattata was the oldest of the two. She seemed more self-assured, though a bit hasty, as she ordered her Rattata to bite without it even being in range to bite anything. However, Cee's Paras was a tricky one. It was surprisingly speedy for a zombie insect, making it hard to hit. Cee seemed to be the calmer one, who observes first and then makes a move, such as when she ordered Paras to use stun spore. It hit the Rattata full in its face and the rat crashed to the ground.

"Rattata is defeated. Paras is the winner. This round goes to Cee!" But no one was listening to Isabelle anymore, because Paras had lit up with a bright light. By now, Isabelle had seen this often enough so she was the only one who didn't stare open-mouthed at the morphing Paras. When it was finished, Isabelle dryly corrected. "Parasect is the winner. This round goes to Cee."

While Parasect were rather creepy once you knew that the mushroom has fully taken over Paras' body and that they were basically undead now, Cee did not seem to care. With a delighted squeal, she flung her arms around Parasect's mushroom (with puffed a bit of spore), and bragged a little to Em, who seemed to be happy for her younger twin sister. Smiling softly, Isabelle brought the empty jug and the platter back to their mother and said her goodbyes, not wishing to disturb the two who seem to have forgotten all about Izzy.

Just before leaving, Izzy snapped a photo of the two, where the girl with the orange dress hugged a Parasect and another girl carried a stunned Rattata in her arms. She texted it to Dominic, making a comment about how creepy Parasect really were once you knew what they actually are. Dom, being his usual chill self, commented with a smiley and replied that a Pokémon didn't have to be pretty or cute to be worthy of love. Izzy frowned at her phone while her heart fluttered. She hated it when he was right. Still, she preferred the more huggable ones.


	48. 048 Venonat

**#048 Venonat**

 _Venonat, the insect Pokémon. Venonat can be found in dense forests, where it will sleep in the hole of a tree until nightfall. It sleeps throughout the day because the small insects it feeds on appear only at night. Both Venonat and its prey are attracted to bright lights – Nurse Evergreen._

While the business of daytime inspired her to work even harder, Nurse Isabelle preferred nighttime, having grown up in Celadon, the city that never slept. She loved the colour of the midnight sky, which was such a deep blue it appeared almost black. Yet the darkness never seemed scary. The pavements, which were always so full with people and Pokémon were now entirely empty, lit by street lights. The world felt so much bigger, yet small within the small, illuminated area.

While most Pokémon have gone to sleep, some others had woken up. Oddish, for example, were now trotting around on their little root-like feet, looking for fresher and better soil to nestle in before morning. Some Pidgey were roosting in the trees overhanging the stone path, cooing gently to their young. This is how she preferred to see Pokémon. All calm in their natural habitat. Not forced to battle by selfish, eager kids, or used for who knows what.

The night wasn't entirely silent, though. Police sirens rang faraway. One of those sirens was coming closer, and soon the source of the sound was visible as well. A figure in blue on a motorcycle. The silhouette of officer Jenny was unmistakable, even at night.

"Halt! Do you have any idea what time it is? Where are your – oh, hello, nurse." Jenny commanded at first, only to soften her voice when she finally recognised who she had in front of her.

"Good evening, officer. Maintaining curfew, I see? As you can see, I am no child up past my bedtime. But what's the hurry, and who have you got with you?" All Isabelle could see was something hairy with antennas on Jenny's bike.

"This is Venonat. He's helping me track down some Pokémon poachers and thieves."

"Oh dang, poachers and thieves? Is no Pokémon safe these days? Heard the rangers were on high alert as well." The dark hid the redness of her cheeks as Izzy thought of one ranger specifically.

Jenny sighed and nodded. "Yes. It's a real problem. Call me if you see anything, okay? They might try to get you, too. Stay safe, nurse"

"The same to you, officer." Isabelle smiled as she laid her hand on Venonat's head, only to pull it back grimacing to find it covered with poison. "Blegh," she muttered as she pulled a paper tissue from her back pocket to wipe off her hand. It was already tingling a little, so she would have to take some medication to be sure. "I didn't know this thing was poisonous?"

Jenny shrugged. "Secondary. It's mostly bug type." Isabelle smiled wryly.

"Well, good luck on your search, and I'll call you if I see anything." After that, Isabelle continued walking down the pavement, rubbing her hand which was becoming increasingly numb. "Bloody buggers. And it was such a beautiful night." Looks like Isabelle would have to end her day with an antidote. Not entirely how she planned on finishing her midnight stroll.

That night, she received a text from Dominic. A Pokémon day-care had been robbed. All Pokemon had been stolen and the poor, elderly couple in charge of it have been hospitalised for their injuries. They were in no mortal danger but blamed themselves horribly for what happened. Meanwhile, the day-care had been put for sale as the owners did not wish to return after what happened.

Sighing, Izzy put her phone away. She hurt for the victims and worried about the Pokémon that had been stolen. It was indeed becoming an increasing problem.

She would have to go to bed soon, however, as she had a meeting with the head nurse of the Pokémon centre the following morning for her master's degree in field medicine.


	49. 049 Venomoth

**#049 Venomoth**

 _Venomoth, the poison moth Pokémon. The evolved form of Venonat. Venomoth live in dense forests with much undergrowth and little light. As a nocturnal Pokémon, Venomoth comes out at night to hunt of its favourite prey. It prefers to feed on insects that gather around light, and Venomoth is attracted to bright lights itself – Nurse Evergreen._

Despite the antidote last night, Nurse Isabelle slept poorly. Her hand had tingled well into the night because of Venonat's poison, which caused terrible dreams about that stupid Ekans again, only it was bigger than an Arbok this time. Before dawn, Isabelle was fed up and decided she was unable to sleep anymore, so she got out of bed. Her Pokémon were deeply asleep, so Isabelle headed over to the cafeteria of the Pokémon centre she was staying at to have breakfast with the Joy on morning shift. It's a graveyard shift anyway.

Saffron Joy, or at least this one, was a peculiar one. The other Joys called her 'Gothic Joy' behind her back, which was kind of mean but so fitting. She had dyed her hair Rattata-purple, wearing it in all kinds of punky fashions that the conservative Joys would never do. Today, she'd braided the left half of it into a faux Mohawk. Her clothing also lacked the pink elements. Instead, they were Ekans-purple. On her feet, for example, were high, belted boots. Isabelle thought she looked cool, and always complimented her on her looks. After all, she tried to be her own person, instead of yet another Joy. Izzy wished she had that kind of confidence.

Instead of sitting properly upright, both nurses laid languidly on the booths, cradling cups of tea in their hands. The scent calmed Izzy down some. While they had chatted animatedly during breakfast, which had been a gigantic blueberry pancake, now they only listened to the mostly silent Pokécentre.

Until, suddenly, a massive, purple moth descended on the table in between them. The Joy sat up, nearly knocking over her tea, while Izzy shrieked, startled.

"I know that Venomoth! Isn't that Sabrina's?"

Isabelle merely shrugged a little; she was startled, exhausted, and didn't really care whose Venomoth it was. It was obviously in good health and after Izzy's encounter with the Venonat, she didn't hold a lot of love for the evolved form, either.

"Oh, come on, Izz. It's got a note, with your name on it," Joy encouraged her. Raising an eyebrow, Isabelle sat up, slower than Saffron Joy had done, and took the envelope Joy held out.

 _"Wandering Nurse Isabelle,_

 _Welcome to Saffron city. My name is Sabrina, and I am the gym leader here. We, the Saffron gym, have foreseen your coming to our city. We've heard and seen a lot of your reputation as travelling nurse and we'd like to invite you over to the Saffron gym the next time you're in town._

 _Be careful of the man with the royal Nidos. He's dangerous._

 _-Sabrina"_

To Isabelle's surprise, Gothic Joy burst out laughing.

"Oh, that's just like her. I love that lady. Do tell me you'll come back soon. I want to hear all about your visit there! I'm so jealous; I wish I could go."

On the back of the note, Isabelle wrote her reply that she'd be back soon and would visit then. The Venomoth took the note and flew off.

"I still don't like that Pokémon…" Isabelle muttered.

For the remainder of the morning, Joy braided her hair in a style similar to hers. While it was not something she could come home with, the resulting selfie became her new profile photo for quite a while, with the comment "So many Joys, so many styles".


	50. 050 Diglett

**#050 Diglett**

 _Diglett, the mole Pokémon. It spends much of its time underground and has very thin skin. If Diglett is exposed to sunlight, its blood will heat up and cause it to grow weak. Diglett digs regularly through the earth at a shallow depth, leaving perfectly tilled soil in its wake. Diglett lives in tunnels and caves under the earth, where it feeds on tree roots. It also sometimes lives in burrows near forests and has even been shown to live inside of trees – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle had been in Vermillion city's Pokémon centre when the earthquake hit during the night. Such events were rather rare, so unsurprisingly everyone in town was alarmed. Helping the Joys on duty, Isabelle spent a while, long before dawn, soothing panicked residents as the centre opened as a temporary hospital for minorly injured. Just around dawn, Isabelle managed to lay down for a while and sleep an hour or two before she was called awake by officer Jenny: there had been collapses in Diglett's cave. Izzy was asked to join a ranger and make their way through the cave to look for any injured people or Pokémon, since earthquakes were disastrous for digging Pokémon.

Awfully sleepy, Isabelle made her way to the entrance of the cave, yawning. In front of the cave stood a man she was actually acquainted with. Despite her exhaustion, she smiled at him.

"Good morning, Dominic," she said. He turned at the sound of her voice, smiled brightly at him as if he'd slept perfectly fine, and surprised her by giving her a quick hug. His torso was pleasantly warm as if he had been sunbathing and his strong arms around her made everything a bit better.

"Hey there, Isabelle. So, you're the nurse assigned to me? Can't say I'm disappointed, working with you over one of those identical Joys." Wearing a white t-shirt, Isabelle could finally see he was decently muscled from his work as a ranger. His arms were nicely sculpted, but she didn't have much time to inspect them.

"They're not that bad once you get to know them, I'll have you know." She felt obliged to tell him. It started to annoy her a little when people assumed the ladies of the Joy family to be identical. Hardly anyone, except for close friends and spouses, bothered to learn their first names.

With a hard hat to protect them from falling rocks, the two descended into the cave. While Dom kept an eye out on where to walk and where not, because of collapsed tunnels and all, Isabelle checked on the Diglett around. None of them seem to be injured, just shaken and more than a bit agitated. However, they'd settle soon when the earth would no longer tremble with aftershocks. Those ground types were as steady as the earth itself.

Because of the earthquake, many Diglett had stuck their little heads out of the ground to see what's going on, making it incredibly hard to walk through the cave. Izzy desperately wished to avoid stepping on one of those little moles, whose chanting made her smile.

With a lot of 'digladee digladee' on the background, Isabelle looked over to smile at Dominic. He seemed so cool and in control, always looking out for her as he tried to avoid her tripping or getting hurt, even if it meant bumping his own head against a low spot in the ceiling. It was touching.

Way too soon, they reached the other end of the cave, where they had to say goodbye. Isabelle had to call in her findings at the Pewter Pokémon centre, and Dom was needed elsewhere. Shaking each other's hands, they said their goodbyes. Isabelle watched him leave with a strange feeling in her stomach. She'd miss his presence, even though they didn't talk much in the cave. There was something really comforting in having him around.

That afternoon, she had a late nap at the Pewter Pokémon centre. The short night left her too exhausted to continue. When she woke, a voice message was waiting for her. Just two words, in the deep voice she had come to love.

"Digladee, digladee"


	51. 051 Dugtrio

**#051 Dugtrio**  
 _Dugtrio, the mole Pokémon. The evolved form of Diglett. Dugtrio's three heads think the same thoughts and act cooperatively, leading researchers to believe they've evolved into a single entity. In order to make burrowing easier, each head will bob up and down to loosen the soil. Dugtrio can tunnel under the earth at up to 100 km/h to a depth of 100 km, triggering tremors and earthquakes. It seems to be capable of burrowing endlessly. Dugtrio lives in tunnels and caves under the earth. It sometimes lives in hollow trees in forests. It maintains the soil and plants trees to revitalize wooded areas – Nurse Evergreen._

Wearing her Squirtle raincoat, Nurse Isabelle slowly walked over the empty streets of Viridian city. It truly was pouring, but the water was warm from the pleasant weather the last days, so it wasn't bad at all. Truth was, she was stalling a little, having an appointment at the Viridian gym with that scary Giovanni guy, to check out his Pokémon. There was something unsettling about him, and it wasn't his posse of bodyguards, though those didn't help one bit.

It truly was a gorgeous building, Izzy had to admit as she stood outside. Compared to the tacky decorating of the Vermillion gym, this one was of an entirely different class. Massive marble columns made the building look incredibly elegant. Like most gyms, it had a high ceiling, Isabelle noticed as she entered the building. Her appraisal was halted rudely when two neckless goons stopped her, demanding her reason of entry. Isabelle showed her medical badge and said she had an appointment with the gym to inspect the health of the Pokémon. Faced with authority like her, the goons immediately straightened up and went to get someone to escort her in. Isabelle merely rolled her eyes. Goodness forbid she walked around alone in a gym. Would almost make a girl wonder what they had to hide.

Her wet sneakers made squeaky noises on the marble floor as she followed a man in a suit without the jacket towards where presumably the Pokémon were kept. His leather shoes hardly made a sound, making Izzy feel as elegant as a Blastoise in a pottery shop. Her coat had been hung near the door, where the goons were. She hoped they liked Squirtle.

As they walked, they passed doors on her left-hand side, most of them closed, but the ones that were open showed to be offices. Whenever the occupant noticed her looking, they hurried to shut the door. Her guide led her somewhere west of the main field, judging from the occasional glances Isabelle managed to get of it. They went through two double doors to a room that did smell vaguely of Pokémon. The first homely sense Isabelle got from this place. However, that seemed to be the only trace. The place they've entered held lots and lots of cages. The ceiling was lower here, but still about twice as high as Izzy was. The bars reached all the way to the ceiling, only interrupted by a large, padlocked, gate door.

Mistaking her horror for surprise, the man explained this is where the Pokémon were kept in between training and matches. It was too much effort to keep calling them back to their Pokéballs. As Isabelle approached the familiar Nidoking in the cage closest to her, the man behind her told her how often these were fed, what they ate, and when and how long they exercised. Theoretically, there was nothing wrong with their regime, and so she thanked the man for his time and explanation. However, as she looked at the Nidoking in his cage, she felt her heart break for him. She extended her hand out through the bars and smiled weakly when the Nidoking laid his snout against it. What about love? Who gave these Pokémon some love?

The Nidoqueen nearby was in a similar state. Physically she was pristine, yet her eyes were dull. There was nothing of that spark of life Isabelle had seen of the Nidoqueen back in the woods, with the Nidoran and Nidorina. A bit further ahead was a Dugtrio. The trainer explained something about the concrete being lower so that they basically had a bit of a dirt pit to reside in. Kneeling in front of the cage, Isabelle looked at the mole Pokémon. Dugtrio were a little hard to read, Isabelle found, just like Diglett. She found it hard to read their emotions, unlike physical pain, which was usually clear in their eyes. Still, a small pit of sand was no way for a Dugtrio to live. They thrived on farms, helping out by tilling the land.

Declaring all these perfectly healthy and taken care of, Isabelle inquired after the other Pokémon. The answer she received was a bit vague. Unavailable, the man in suit had said. For a moment, Isabelle contemplated demanding to see them. What if they were held back because they were in less of a good state? They were Pokémon, and Pokémon were her duty. So, she told the trainer she'd like to see every Pokémon that was in this gym. He surprised her by bowing and walking away.

Hovering around Nidoking's cage, Isabelle waited with crossed arms for whatever was going to happen. The doors opened, causing Izzy to stand upright again to face the trainer coming back. However, it wasn't him. Giovanni himself came striding in, in his impeccable suit and his awful mood. The most frightening part about his mood was that it wasn't to be read on his face. His face was calm. It was his aura that was stormy. A bit insecure, Isabelle took a step back when he came thundering towards her. Her back hit a wall, preventing her from escaping. His right hand slammed into the stone just next to her head, causing her to flinch.

"Who do you think you are, missy? Demanding to see all of my Pokémon, as if I'd hide them from a little girl like you?" He hissed near her ear. Izzy was frozen with fear. All words that had been on the tip of her tongue about treating his Pokémon in a more humane manner had been entirely forgotten. All she could do was glare at him. That was the only feature of her anger that was still available.

"If I catch you snooping around, looking for my other Pokémon, I'll make sure it's the last thing you do. Understood?" Isabelle nodded frantically, hoping he could not hear her heart pounding in her chest. "Good." He pushed off the wall and walked away without even sparing her one more glance. Utterly relieved, Isabelle sank to the floor, taking a moment to calm down before getting out of here as fast as she could. She'd fight this fight another day, with backup.


	52. 052 Meowth

**#052 Meowth**

 _Meowth, the scratch cat Pokémon. Meowth is attracted to round and shiny objects, and has the unique ability to produce coins using their pay day skill. However the value of these coins is more decorative than monetary. Meowth is known to wander about city streets and pick up anything that sparkles, including loose change. Upon finding a sparkling object, its eyes will glitter and the coin on its forehead will shine brightly. Meowth is a playful Pokémon with the capacity for human-like intelligence. Meowth tends to live in urban areas – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle sat in the cafeteria of the local Pokémon centre. Her laptop was hooked up to the power and internet, allowing her to work on her thesis. Occasionally, the teenager in charge of the cafeteria would bring her another cup of tea. The mint was going bad, allowing her to drink as much as she wanted while she worked on college stuff.

It was slow progress. While the idea was taking shape, proposing a mobile workforce of nurses rather than the stationary centres that existed now, she lacked the evidence to back it up. Her examples were thin and shaky, easily refuted by any strong counter argument such as costs and resources. With a frustrated groan, Izzy buried her head in her arms, making the bun on her head wobble.

"Not going great?" A voice asked her, rather redundantly. Not looking up, Isabelle moaned her agreement. "I remember writing mine. A painful process, but the end result was worth it, after a year. I'm Nona, by the way. Nona Joy."

Whatever Izzy was expecting when she looked up, Nona wasn't it. Nona Joy was a middle aged Joy, quite unlike the Joys she's met, including the goth Joy. Her hair was cut very short, with some grey hairs she did not hide with dye. But rather than a nurse's outfit, Nona wore a police offer's uniform.

"Yep. I became a cop. Let's go, little nurse. I've found a little something and you're the only one around with a nursing diploma that isn't occupied. Chop chop, get those legs moving, missy."

Saving her lack of progress hurriedly, Izzy downed the leftover tea, grimacing at how bitter and lukewarm it's become, and hurried after Nona, who did not wait up for her.

Nona took her to the police station as she told about her graduation paper. She had written about managing other people's expectations, a topic that suited her very well as she was one of the first Joys not to go into nursing.

"I would have made a terrible nurse, missy. Pokémon would have died!" Isabelle could only laugh at that. "Now, the reason you're here are these babies." Nona gestured towards a small office located unremarkably in the middle of the hallway. A few photos hung on the wall, showing Nona at the police academy, Nona with her sisters, and other personal collectibles Izzy felt she couldn't intrude upon. On a couch near the cluttered desk, a weathered box stood. A regular, cardboard box with the logo of some local moving company printed on it. Quiet mewing came from its insides though.

A nest of black kittens laid curled up together. Their eyes hadn't even opened yet. When Izzy asked where their mother was, Nona could only shrug.

"I've had Meowth before. I know how bad this is. What chances do they have?" Nona asked as Isabelle gently lifted one of the kittens up to check the claws and teeth, and tested how well they responded to her.

"It can be done. Does anyone here have a Meowth or their evolution? It would benefit them a lot to be around their kind." When Nona explained their boss had a Meowth, Izzy nodded, never taking her eyes of the tiny black thing, no bigger than the size of her hand.

"I've never seen Meowth this colour before. Is it bad?"

"Nah. They come in a variety of colours, though the cream coloured variant is most common. See how they don't have any kind of gem yet on their forehead? Most Meowth either find their own or get it from their mother. Keep a close eye on that badge, Nona, or you'll find one of these cuties wearing it."

While discussing cats and how to care for them, Nona and Izzy had a cup of tea together. One of the kittens had curled up on the young nurse's lap, purring ever so slightly. It physically hurt to have to give the cat back.

"You sure you don't want one?"

"Oh, not at all. I'd love a cat. However, I'm not done with my Master's thesis yet. I don't have a house, as I still live with my mother when I'm done next summer. I couldn't possibly take care of a Meowth right now, especially one as young as this. One day, for sure. Not today."

"I wish you the best of luck with your thesis, Isabelle. It was great meeting you." Nona shook Izzy's hand.

"The same to you. Do send me photos of how they grow up. I need more cat photos in my life."


	53. 053 Persian

**#053 Persian**

 _Persian, the classy cat Pokémon. The evolved form of Meowth. Persian normally lives in towns and cities. Although popular for its elegance, it is extremely difficult to raise as a pet due to its fickle and temperamental personality. It will scratch anyone, including its trainer, with little or no provocation, and has been observed ripping its prey apart for no discernible reason – Nurse Evergreen._

"Lady! Lady! Lady Nurse! Please! Lady Nurse!"

Nurse Isabelle Evergreen had been strolling through one of the wealthier villages around, admiring the gorgeous villas while imagining herself living in them. Seeing such houses made marrying a wealthy old man not sound like such a horrible idea. Shame she's very rarely home.

The silence was interrupted by the voice of what sounded like a young girl, calling out to someone. Turning around, Izzy saw someone dash towards her. Instantly alert, Isabelle caught her and stabilised her before both of them would fall over.

"You're a nurse, right?" The little girl demanded to know.

"Yes, but…"

"You must come with me! Grandmother's Persian is very, very sick!" The girl looked in absolute panic from the way she shouted and kept tugging on the hem of Izzy's shirt, so Isabelle decided to come. At a slow jog, she could easily keep up with the running girl.

"So, what's wrong with Persian?" Isabelle asked, to gain some insight on the situation.

"He's been weak for a long while now, but this morning, he wouldn't get up anymore."

Isabelle made a humming sound in her throat as she frowned; the situation sounded rather severe.

Grandmother apparently lived in one of the villas nearby. The guards bowed at the little girl, and allowed Isabelle to pass through, too. The butlers escorted them upstairs, where the girl was asked to wait in front of a closed door. 'Lady Nurse' was allowed to enter.

Inside the room, which seemed to be Persian's room judging from the fact toys were everywhere along with cat beds and scratching poles, an elderly lady knelt in front of a long chair on which laid the elegant feline. That cat even had its own bed, and it looked much comfier than her own!

As Isabelle approached, the rich lady, who obviously had been crying from the way her eyes were wet and the handkerchief she held, made room for her to approach the cat.

"Oh, poor darling," Isabelle whispered as she took in the normally gorgeous cat.

Persian looked terrible. As Isabelle ran her hand over his body, she could feel the bones of his ribcage. Gasping breaths racked his fail frame in between tremors almost as violent as his owner's.

"You do feed Persian right, don't you, ma'am?" Isabelle asked to confirm.

The lady nodded. "Only the best. Fresh fish, steamed meat. But lately, he has not been eating much."

Isabelle hummed again, nodding, and stroked Persian's snout while inspecting his eyes.

"I have good news and bad news for you, ma'am," Isabelle said as she kept stroking the classy cat Pokémon. "Persian is not sick. However, he is very old. I don't think he'll live very long." Isabelle finally looked at the elderly lady, who had begun to cry again silently.

Isabelle stood up and placed her hand on the lady's arm. "Persian has had a great life. His fur might be thinning, but it's still groomed perfectly. Stay with him until the end, if you can. He could use the company, as he might be afraid. You should decide for yourself whether you want your granddaughter to be here, when he passes away. If by dawn he's not passed on yet, the local nurse could give him a sleeping draught, which should be enough for him to find peace."

The woman nodded and knelt again in front of the struggling feline. "Oh, what will I do without my poor Persian? I've had him ever since he was a starved street Meowth."

Isabelle sat down on the other side of the feline. "You could always adopt another one, when you're ready, of course. So many Meowth out there long for love. You rescued this one. He knows how tough it was on the streets. I think he'll like it if you rescue another one. Think of it as his legacy. He might want that. You know him better than me."

Then Isabelle stood up again, watching over Persian sadly. "Keep him warm, and make sure he knows he is loved and will be missed. That's all you can do for him right now." Then Isabelle bowed her head to both the lady and the Persian and left the room.

As she opened the door to go outside, the little girl rushed by her to get inside, rushing to Persian's and Grandmother's side. By the time Isabelle was outside, the girl's wails were clearly audible. Isabelle guessed Persian has passed away, surrounded by those who loved him.


	54. 054 Psyduck

**#054 Psyduck**

 _Psyduck, the duck Pokémon. Psyduck is constantly stunned by its headache and is unable to think very clearly. It usually stands immobile, trying to calm its headache. However, when its headache becomes too severe, it releases tension in the form of strong psychic powers. The use of these powers produces brain waves identical to those seen in sleepers, and the Pokémon is unable to recall these episodes. Psyduck lives in freshwater lakes and small ponds, but can be seen in rivers in tropical areas as well – Nurse Evergreen._

If looking for a nurse, the most logical place to look is a Pokémon centre. That's where Dominic Whitewater found the young lady he had become so fond of. However, the Pokémon she was currently treating was not one he particularly liked.

Nurse Isabelle Evergreen had been doing some chores at the centre she was staying at when a Pokémon was brought in: a Psyduck that reportedly suffered from a severe migraine. It was common for these ducks to have a headache, but this poor little fellow was so confused, he kept walking against the walls and other furniture, injuring himself even further. The quiet quack whenever he hit something was both piteous and the slightest bit funny.

Isabelle was sitting on one of the beds with the Psyduck in her lap when Dom entered the room. The ranger was decently good-looking, enough for the Joy in the lobby to let him through when he asked for Isabelle. When Dom saw Izzy, he smiled brightly. Only that smile faltered and turned in a disgusted grimace when he saw she was cradling the whimpering duck in her arms, as she massaged its head.

"Oh come on. Psyduck are not that bad. Ever handled a Parasect? Those are gross. Not these harmless ducks," Isabelle chided him gently and quietly. Dom merely huffed.

"I can't stand them. That look on their faces… It gives me a headache."

Isabelle laughed, hugging the duck closer to her chest. The Psyduck, being entirely dry at the moment, had this soft, downy coat all over its yellow body.

"So. What's wrong with it? How are you treating the little derp?" Isabelle lightly frowned at him for calling the poor, helpless Psyduck a derp.

"Psyduck has a severe migraine. I've given him a sedative to help him sleep it off. However, it works slowly and if I let him walk around, he bumps into stuff. That's how confused he is. So I hold the sweetheart until he falls asleep, massaging his head." When she heard Dom scoff at the endearment, Isabelle grinned.

Dom sat down nearby, allowing Izzy to rest her shoulder against his chest, and the pair talked quietly for a while. Isabelle held the duck as it was slowly getting drowsy and eventually fell asleep with an unflattering snore that caused Dom to snort. Ignoring that, Isabelle laid the Psyduck down on its bed and left the room with Dom.

As they both walked to the lobby where Isabelle would have to report in, Dom slid his hand in hers, holding it protectively, as if she needed protection from a horde of sleepy Psyduck. Nevertheless, Isabelle didn't mind one bit. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, earning her another smile.

The Joy at the desk in the lobby grinned widely at the two. Isabelle was blushing furiously and glared at the Joy while Dom looked kind of proud to be holding her hand. He refused to let her go, no matter how bashful she may get, and only grinned wickedly at her. When Isabelle gave in, she had to admit it was actually kind of pleasant, once the sensation of Butterfree in the stomach was ignored.

Dom treated her to coffee and they spent their lunch break together. He did not even object when she asked for a fancier one, a latte with a chocolate syrup in it, opposed to his cup of plain black coffee. After that, they each went their separate ways again after hugging each other briefly. The warmth of his body felt so comforting. This might have been a perfect moment to kiss, but Isabelle could not do it yet, due to a surge of shyness, so she buried her face against his chest. Dominic merely kissed the top of her head before letting her go entirely.

As she walked back to the centre, Izzy grumbled at herself. She'd faced an angry Charizard but could not act normally around the bearded ranger. What was wrong with her? Luckily, there would be a next time.


	55. 055 Goldduck

**#055 Golduck**

 _Golduck, the duck Pokémon. The evolved form of Psyduck. Golduck is a fast swimmer, out-swimming even the most athletic of humans because of its webbed hands and feet. Even rough seas do not hamper this Pokémon's swimming abilities, and it will sometimes rescue people from shipwrecks. The gem on its foreheads glows when it uses its psychic powers, and occasionally when it swims at full speed. It has the ability to give knowledge to its trainer and fellow Pokémon through telepathy, being a psychic-type. Golduck lives in freshwater lakes and in rivers – Nurse Evergreen._

Sometimes, her self-made travelling nurse uniform felt too restrictive, especially if the sun was shining as brightly as it was today. So, to allow her too-pale skin some sun, Isabelle was wearing some shorts and a tank top, which had an image of a Caterpie wearing a Butterfree onesie emblazoned on it. She found herself at the beach again, near Bill's lighthouse. It was far from the beaten path, Cerulean being the only town nearby, that few people came here. The beach was very clean around here, taken well care of, possibly by Bill himself.

Walking through the sand barefooted, Isabelle enjoyed the wind through her loose curls. Even her hair deserved an off-day. High above her, Pidgeotto was surfing the wind. She'd let him loose since he hadn't had a lot of time to shine, recently. To give her bird some much needed attention, he was the only one of her Pokémon she had released today. He seemed to be practicing his agility judging from the speed he managed to achieve in this unrestricted space of air.

Glancing away from Pidgeotto and the scorching sun, Isabelle saw a man at the coastline, with a bunch of tall, blue Pokémon. Upon approaching him, she confirmed they were Goldduck. Only barely giving her a glance, the trainer swung a heavy, Rattata shaped toy into the surf, waited for a moment, and then blew his whistle. As one, his flock of Golduck dove into the water had retrieved the toy within less than a minute, however far he threw it.

"They're training for search-and-rescue," the man suddenly said, closer to her than he had been before. It quite startled Izzy

"Huh?" She hadn't really been listening, transfixed by the competence of the Golduck. They were now training themselves. As soon as one dove up the toy, it flung the purple thing away for another Golduck to retrieve, almost like a game.

The Golduck were magnificent creatures. Being as tall as Isabelle and a bit heavier than her, they could swim faster than any other Pokémon. This made them unbeatable underwater since nothing was too speedy for them.

"Search and rescue. They're aquatic aid Pokémon," the man repeated, a little impatient now. "You do know what search and rescue is, right?" Isabelle resisted to roll her eyes as she interpreted his tone as him thinking her dumb. Pidgeotto descended upon Izzy's arm, perching proudly with his head held high.

"This is Pidgeotto, a medical bird. He helps with the extraction of injured Pokémon and transporting them to safety," Isabelle said, not to be outdone by his Golduck.

The man checked out her Pidgeotto, smiled softly, and gave her a salute.

"Keep up the good work, officer," Isabelle greeted the man who obviously belonged to the police, based on his area of expertise. Maybe a bit narrow-minded, but a colleague nevertheless.

"You too, nurse."

Smiling, Isabelle let Pidgeotto fly again as she continued to walk down the beach, enjoying the sun on her neglected skin and the wind through her hair. It truly was a glorious day.


	56. 056 Mankey

**#056 Mankey**

 _Mankey, the pig monkey Pokémon. Mankey specializes in physical fighting, and is very aggressive and short-tempered. When angry, Mankey begins shaking and its breathing turns rough. Its rage peaks quickly, preventing its victim from being able to flee. If Mankey loses sight of its colony, its loneliness causes it to become infuriated. Mankey can be found in the mountains Mankey's preferred food is chestnuts, although Mankey usually lacks the dexterity to peel them, further enraging them. Additionally, it also appears to be fond of bananas – Nurse Evergreen._

One of the most amazing things of Pokémon was that a Pokémon's nature occasionally overruled its natural behaviour. There were docile Charizard and vicious Oddish. An example of this happened back in Pallet with Professor Oak. Oak has developed an entire Pokémon reserve where he studied the Pokémon in his case, including some temporarily visiting or those adopted by him.

Some of the rangers occasionally visited to keep an eye on the Pokémon, both to check that Oak wasn't becoming too old for this, and protecting them from poachers. Dominic, who was in the reserve for such a shift, had called her when the report came in, so that's where Nurse Isabelle was headed. He claimed needing her expert, medical opinion.

Looking in her agenda, which also served as a notebook, Isabelle read up on the case. The basic outline was that a colony of Mankey needed vaccinations. A virus was going around and it would protect them from becoming sick. Everyone knew that a sick Mankey was an infuriated one. Sighing, Isabelle closed her notebook. She was not really looking forward to this case. Subconsciously, she rubbed her left wrist, which had begun hurting again at the memory. While no blemish could be seen, the mark certainly was there in the manner that her left wrist was less agile than her right one. A result of an old wound, and a painful lesson that an enraged Pokémon was a dangerous one.

Upon meeting Dominic at the gate, Isabelle surprised him by wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and giving him a close hug. She rested her forehead against his shoulder for a moment as he rubbed her back, not asking any questions. He smelled good; something lemony in his beard – a balm, perhaps?- and a very subtle scent she has been unable to place but always associated with him. When she was ready to pull away, she did so with a soft smile.

"Nice to see you too, Iz. How are you?"

"Not looking forward to this, but let's do it," she told him.

The colony wasn't hard to find. The pig monkeys smelled intruders and were slightly agitated because of it. Mankey kind of screamed when mad. Frowning, Isabelle looked up the tree in which most of the apes sat. However, in another tree, there was a single Mankey. It looked smaller than the rest but not small enough to be a young one. Mankey would never even leave a young one alone like that.

"Let's start with this one," Isabelle suggested, still looking at the single Mankey. Not only was this female smaller than the rest, it also didn't seem agitated; her breathing was normal and her face resembled friendliness even. Taking a small risk, Isabelle called out to her:

"Come here, honey. Give me a hug."

Without even a single moment of hesitation, the Mankey threw herself out of the tree and into Izzy's arms. Those long arms of hers swung around the nurse's body while it made happy little sounds. The Mankey's fur was really soft, like a baby Pidgey's down.

"Look, Dom. A gentle Mankey!" Isabelle exclaimed, smiling. However, when the ranger came near, the pig monkey made angry sounds at him, putting herself in between Dom and Izzy. "All right, all right, little one. Let's not do that," Isabelle said, pulling her away while Dom stepped back.

"Hey, I don't mean any harm," he promised the young lady, but he gave Izzy space to do her job.

"So, you don't like men, hm?" She cooed at the Mankey, while starting a report on her. "This one's below average weight. Maybe she doesn't eat enough? If this continues, she might need to be relocated. She doesn't seem to be part of the colony anyway." Isabelle told Dom, while looking at the colony of Mankey up in the tree, who did not seem at all worried she was touching one of them.

As Dom wrote it down, Isabelle swiftly gave the injection to the Mankey. This brave little lady didn't give a single cry, so she rewarded her with a big hug.

"That's a good girl. Yes, you're a good girl."

However, Isabelle was unable to get rid of the Mankey. She had to treat the rest of the Mankey with the smaller one wrapped around her shoulders on her back. Even lighter than she should be, she was still rather heavy when carried for a long time. The other Mankey, on the other hand, did not mind the little back hanger at all. They even seemed calmer because one of them accepted Izzy so much.

Dom stood a little distance away, writing the report while smiling at the nurse he was so fond of. There was nothing more attractive to him than a woman who knew how to work with Pokémon. He was also relieved he did not have to use the tranquiliser darts he had stored in his pocket. Those truly were a last resort.

At the end of the day, Izzy had to hang the Mankey back in the trees she came from, lest the colony would leave without the little one. As the nurse stretched out to reach the branches, Dominic picked her up by her hips and raised her without too much effort. His arms did tremble a bit from the exercise, but he managed to gently put her down nevertheless. He was slow to pull his hands away, letting his fingers drag over the sides of her hips and waist before he stepped away.

As they swung their packs over their shoulders and hiked back to the lab, Isabelle had the fleeting thought that working with his particular ranger satisfied a sense of loneliness she hadn't noticed she had. They worked well together.


	57. 057 Primeape

**#057 Primeape**

 _Primeape, the pig monkey Pokémon. The evolved form of Mankey. Primeape is easily angered; even the slightest glance of eye contact will make it furious, if you are a stranger to it. When Primeape is furious, its blood circulation is boosted. This makes its muscles stronger, but at the cost of some of its intelligence. It will chase anyone who upsets it and will not stop until it has caught its victim. Even if it is awoken from sleep, it will groggily chase whatever woke it. Primeape can be found in vibrant forests or on mountains. It has shown some fondness for bananas – Nurse Evergreen._

The unfortunate encounter with a Primeape had happened only a year ago, when Isabelle had just graduated from the nursing academy. Now, without her friends, helping Pokémon was a lot more daunting. These Pokémon weren't actors and well behaved; they were genuinely sick and quite likely upset.

To gain more experience, Isabelle's mother had granted her the opportunity to be a Joy's assistant in a centre different from where Mrs Evergeen herself worked. Izzy'd be joining that Joy on all her shifts to get used to the life as a nurse. As the weeks progressed, Isabelle was allowed to do more and more alone.

On that fateful day, Isabelle started her very first shift alone, filled with confidence laced with doubt. She would no longer be overseen by Joy, who had different matters to attend to. It was early in the morning and the nurse at the reception told her that her first patient was a Primeape who'd gotten injured while jogging with his trainer in the morning. Nothing serious, just a bleeding cut on his forearm, the handover had said.

Feeling amazingly professional, Isabelle entered the fourth treatment room, where she'd be during her shift. The Primeape sat on the bed, already bristling with rage as he held his injured arm in his gloved hand. Primeape could have very soft fur, but when agitated, it bristled to something akin to spikes. A slightly worried-looking body builder sat in the chair nearby, who instantly smiled in relief when Isabelle entered in her pink dress and white apron.

"Nurse, I'm so glad you're here. Primeape has been grumpy all morning because of the pain. The sooner we can fix him up, the better."

Isabelle agreed with the man, reached in a cabinet nearby for antiseptic and bandages. Cuts were easy to do. She'd done them all the time at school. Primeape would soon feel better, she decided.

While the trainer stroked his pig monkey over his shaggy head, Isabelle stood at his injured arm. She laid her right hand on his glove, stroking it soothingly while moving to dab the wound with the antiseptic. However, she forgot to mention it stings some, and this Pokémon did not expect it to like the simulation patients.

Shrieking in pain, the Primeape did what was his nature to do: he attacked. He stomped the offending hand away that had been causing his wound to sting. Izzy's left wrist got caught between the wall and Primeape's fist, causing it to break with a painful 'crunch'. Upon the nurse's scream of pain, the Primeape leapt back, startled and fearing punishment from his trainer, who stared at the nurse on the ground cradling her broken wrist.

The Joy from the lobby came rushing in, took in the scene, and called for a colleague to take over here while Izzy would be taken to a hospital herself. Tears ran down Izzy's cheeks. Not only from the pain, but also in humiliation. Merely fifteen minutes into her first shift alone and then something like this happened.

At the hospital, Izzy's wrist was put in a cast. Primeape are strong and had shattered most of the bones. The doctor warned her left hand would not likely ever be the same anymore. Izzy didn't listen much. She just sat there, still cradling her wrist.

Only when her mother came in, sat next to her on the bed, and pulled her only daughter into a hug did she finally break fully. She cried for a long while, had over a litre of tea while sharing stories of failed treatments, and eventually felt better. It had been a painful lesson, but a necessary one nevertheless.


	58. 058 Growlithe

**#058 Growlithe**

 _Growlithe, the puppy Pokémon. Growlithe is a friendly and loyal Pokémon that will fearlessly defend its trainer and territory from harm, even against larger, stronger enemies. It will fiercely bark at, bite, and chase away any perceived threat, including those who suddenly approach its trainer. Otherwise, this obedient Pokémon will wait motionlessly until given an order. Growlithe also has a powerful olfactory sense. If it detects an unknown smell in its territory, it roars to flush out the intruder. It is rumoured to be able to smell the emotions of others, and never forgets a scent. However, strong, unpleasant smells can disable its sense of smell for short periods. Growlithe, in the wild, can occasionally be found in grassy plains or urban areas – Nurse Evergreen._

Occasionally, Nurse Isabelle would rent a bike to get around easier. Walking around was fun and all, but if you just wished to get cheaply from point A to point B, the bike was the way to go. Autumn was ending and along with it, the pleasant weather. The air was crisp and very chilly against her face. Bundled up in a thick Venonat-coloured coat, she shivered even with her scarf and gloves.

A bit further up ahead, a cardboard box sat alongside the road. Ever curious, Izzy slowed her bike down to a halt to peer inside. The cardboard had gotten wet at some point and then frozen over, seemingly held up by misery alone. Inside, several puppies laid curled up against each other, deathly still.

Her breath came out in a painful gasp as her heart skipped a beat. Her own fingers were too numb to feel for a pulse, so Izzy immediately unwound her scarf and opened her coat. In the space on top of her chest, she tucked in the tiny puppies, no bigger than twice her hand. They felt like frozen icicles and still did not move, despite a stranger having touched them. Izzy feared the worst.

With the Growlithe puppies tucked closely against her body, Isabelle cycled as fast as she could to the nearest town. Her phone told her where the closest centre was, a neat little app that many trainers these days could not live without. The clinic was a rural one and there was no one in the small lobby when Isabelle ran in.

"Nurse! Emergency!" Her voice echoed through the centre. Regardless, Isabelle kept hope. This place was not abandoned according to policy. And sure enough, a Wigglytuff came bounding forth. Not quite the cavalry Izzy had been hoping for but help regardless.

Kneeling on the floor to get closer to the Pokémon, Izzy withdrew one of the puppies from her coat. Wigglytuff sniffed the Growlithe, shrieked unlike Izzy had ever heard before, and took off in a mad dash.

While Wigglytuff went to get the main nurse, Izzy assumed, she withdrew all the puppies and wrapped them in her scarf, rubbing them as much as she could to keep them warm. She could see how thin these puppies were from the definition of their bones through the thin fur. They should have been playful at this age, fluffy and chubby-bellied. Instead, they were still and did not move much.

From her backpack, she withdrew her stethoscope to listen for any heartbeat. They were too small and curled up to listen manually. Three out of four still had a faint heartbeat, but she couldn't discover anything with the tiniest, no matter how she sought.

From somewhere, a nurse came running. A lean man who didn't speak at all; simply got to work almost immediately. Reflecting back on it, Izzy admired his ability to stay calm and get to work. Meanwhile, Izzy's body was so tense with adrenaline, screaming at her to take a break. She had raced towards the centre after all. Silent tears ran over her chilled cheeks as the nurse bundled up the three surviving Growlithe in her pale pink scarf, now smeared with mud and possibly something else. Izzy tried to follow the nurse into the single treatment room of the centre, but with a single hand, he barred her entry. When she looked up at his face, noticing he wasn't taller than her, he shook his head, stepped back and closed the door on her.

Wigglytuff, quite possibly his, took her by the hand and led her to a couch in the tiny canteen. There, a pot of tea stood over a warming pad, one single cup knocked over when its owner hastily left. As Isabelle sat down, the Wigglytuff poured her a fresh cup of tea and then covered her legs with a blanket. Despite the caffeine in the tea, it did not take long for Izzy to fall asleep, her body forcing a nap on her due to emotional exhaustion.

When she woke up, she felt disoriented. The couch she was lying on was old and uncomfortable, somehow both incredibly hard yet very saggy. Across of her, the male nurse sat, feeding a Growlithe puppy with a syringe. Its little butt wagged in an attempt to wag the tail, if it hadn't been amputated.

"I had to. Frostbite had snuck in." He spoke quietly, as if not to startle the eagerly feeding puppy. Izzy hadn't realised she was staring. She sat up straighter, covering her legs with the blanket. "The others are fine, if you're wondering that. All thanks to you. If you hadn't found them, they would all have died, like that little one." Isabelle looked down sadly, touching a hole in the duvet.

"This isn't the first time you've seen this, is it?" She asked. When he shook his head, she sighed. "Why do people do this?"

"That's the question. Some people just don't want the responsibility, I guess. It costs money to put Pokémon up for adoption, so some just release them to the wild." He sighed, stood up, and put the sated Growlithe in a basket. "Don't worry. I'll take care of them and get them placed." Isabelle nodded, stood up, and grabbed her bag and coat.

"I'll be off then. Thank you for your work."

"Safe travels, colleague."


	59. 059 Arcanine

**#059 Arcanine**

 _Arcanine, the legendary Pokémon. The evolved form of Growlithe. Arcanine is a fiercely brave and loyal Pokémon. It is capable of running 10,000 kilometres in 24 hours with a speed and grace reminiscent of flight. Arcanine has long been admired for its beauty and speed. The source of its power is a flame blazing wildly inside its body. It was shown that it stashes food in its mane and carries it to its nest for its young. Arcanine lives on prairies, and it has also been seen living near active volcanoes – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle had both looked forward to coming back to Cinnabar and dreaded it a little. The old man Blaine still made her uncomfortable, but she longed to see how the Vulpix, Ninetales, Growlithe, and Arcanine that lived around the gym were doing. Blaine had tagged her in a blogpost about puppies, possibly knowing she couldn't resist checking up on them.

Wearing her shorts from the time at the beach with Golduck again, Isabelle wore a new tank top. This one had a Meowth on it, happily licking some ice cream. Her hair was in the usual braid, away from her face. It felt good being out of the regular uniform.

As she walked up the volcano, she attracted some looks from the locals. With her white skin that hadn't seen sun in a long time and her medicine bag, she clearly wasn't from Cinnabar island. However, no one bothered her with cheaply made souvenirs and other trinkets, leaving her to do her thing.

At the gym, no one answered the doorbell so she let herself in. Purposefully, Isabelle strode right away to the dog kennel. There, in a soft box in the middle of the room, were about five Growlithe playing. These were the first puppies she'd seen alive since the incident. Keeping her bag just outside of the pen, Isabelle stepped over the cage and knelt on the padded ground, letting herself be swept over by excited puppies.

Adult Growlithe were less eager to accept strangers but these were less than a year old. They were all playful and happy in the way puppies should be. She had her hands full, rubbing all over their happy, little heads and soft bellies.

The sound of their young awoke the parents from their naps. Slowly, two massive Arcanine came stumbling from wherever they slept. Isabelle held still while the dog, which were taller than her, sniffed her hair and her skin. She apparently smelled okay because she received a warm lick, making her giggle. One Arcanine settled down behind her and the other curled up in the pen as well, making one big, soft sleeping pit with dogs.

Isabelle must have fallen asleep, exhausted from the boat journey to Cinnabar, because it was dark when she was woken up by a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, sleepily, she saw a man's silhouette. She carefully wiggled her way away from the dogs, having to carefully pull some puppies off her lap and chest, and stood up.

In the streetlight outside, the man turned out to be Blaine. Unsurprising. As Isabelle followed Blaine into the cool air of the island around dinner time, she waited for him to start talking. For the longest time, he stared out over the sea, of which he had a gorgeous view from his volcano.

"Join me," he eventually said.

"Pardon?"

"Join me. Stay here. Be Cinnabar's personal nurse. Stay here with me," he turned around and looked at her intensely. Isabelle, however, felt highly uncomfortable.

"Ehm. No, thank you. I love my job as it is and am not willing to settle down yet."

As Isabelle tried to step away, Blaine reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly. His skin was calloused and leathery, from handling fire his entire life.

"Don't do it for me. Do it for the Pokémon. It's obvious they love you. That Joy in the centre below is hideous anyway. We could use you around."

"Let me go! I love them too, but I'm not staying! I'll call to reschedule the check-up, now let me go!" Isabelle yanked her wrist free, swung her bag over her shoulder and ran.

The last ferry back to Vermillion had already left, but when a fisher's wife saw the light hand-shaped mark on her wrist, starting to bruise, a boat was arranged for her immediately. All the women seemed to understand, which made Isabelle even more uneasy about the fire gymleader. His Pokémon were in amazing shape, but it felt he spends too much time alone up there on his volcano. It wasn't her problem to tackle, however. That would be someone else's adventure.


	60. 060 Poliwag

**#060 Poliwag**

 _Poliwag, the tadpole Pokémon. There is a black and white swirl on its abdomen, which are its internal organs showing through its semi-transparent skin. The swirl looks clearer after it eats, and the skin is very elastic so that it will not break if the Pokémon is bitten. The direction of the belly spiral differs by area, with the equator being thought to have an effect on this. It has newly developed legs that are poor at walking, and no arms. Its long, mostly transparent tail makes it a powerful swimmer. Because of its ineptitude on land, Poliwag is more likely to be found swimming in small freshwater ponds and lakes – Nurse Evergreen._

Nurse Isabelle was travelling from one city to the next by bike, as she usually did in between jobs. Spring was finally beginning properly and with it the Pokémon behaved differently. Metapod evolved into Butterfree. Unfortunately, the Kakuna evolved, too. Speaking of Butterfree and Beedrill, Izzy had read an article about them last night: it was remarkable how trainer's influence changed these Pokémon. Normally, wild Beedrill and Butterfree did not survive the winter. They lay eggs and pass away during the cold months. However, captured Butterfree and Beedrill could live up to five years. Maybe because of their training, maybe because of the protected environment of the Pokéball. Either way, it was incredible.

Wearing some capris and three-quarter shirt, Isabelle had begun wearing her clothes more freely. When she started, last September, she'd worn her 'uniform' every single day, believing she would not be recognised without. However, people seem to know about her by now and her identification worked as well. She still had a cloth armband around her upper arm with the crest of the profession of a Pokémon nurse.

Passing through an area with a lot of ponds and lakes, Isabelle stopped at one, surprise; there, in the middle of a pond, stood her good friend Wendy Foxglove. She had her trousers rolled up to her knees and seemed to be searching the bottom of the pond for something. On dry land, just at water's edge, her Wigglytuff was collecting weeds from a Poliwag who gave them to her. Judging from the stack nearby, they'd been busy for a while.

"Hey! Wendy! What on Earth are you doing? What do you need all these plants for?" Isabelle called out.

The girl with the dark afro stood upright again, stretched her back, and waved excitedly at Izzy before coming her way. In light clothing like that, Isabelle was pleased to see Wendy had gained a bit of weight since they were sixteen. That girl had always been much too skinny, too distracted to eat.

"I'm harvesting salveyo weed. The Vileplume are walking around again now that the weather is nice, and salveyo weed tea is one of the best cures for it. I promised to get some in exchange for a good meal and some herbal medicine for my bag." Wendy pointed to her own medical bag near Wigglytuff.

"Oh, that sounds really nice. I'll help. Shall I get my own stack or shall we just share?" As Isabelle spoke, more Poliwag came to the surface of the pond.

"Are you kidding? We'll share, of course, but don't slack off," Wendy said, causing both of them to laugh. When Wendy turned back to the water, Izzy couldn't help but smile fondly at her friend. The years had done her good; she seemed so in her element like this, away from the academy and knee-deep in water for some herbal medicine.

Soon, they were wading through the pond up to their knees, picking the weed and giving it to Poliwag who brought it to Wigglytuff. As they worked, Isabelle complimented her on Wiggly's (for that was her name) gentle and helpful behaviour. They've been known to be rather temperamental, but this one was absolutely adorable. But then again, like trainer like Pokémon: Wendy was mild and loving herself.

By the time the sun went down, both had their arms entirely full of the moist weed. Wigglytuff was resting in her Pokéball, which she entirely deserved. The herbal medicine lady was absolutely delighted with so much of the weeds, explaining her body could not endure the labour anymore. It frankly didn't matter: if someone needed help for whichever reason, both girls said they'd be more than willing to help.

Sitting outside, enjoying one of the best meals Isabelle had recently had, she caught up with her friend Wendy while nursing a glass of white wine, laughing as they brought up good memories. Isabelle couldn't resist taking a photo of the two of them. Venomoth fluttered by as they talked. After dessert, the old lady came back with two stacks of medicine. Loads of berries were included and also other pills and potions. Isabelle actually recognised a lot of this as the herbal form of centre medicine. They thanked the lady, who bowed to them in gratitude, and then went their separate ways after hugging each other tightly and promising to call.  
Unable to resist the urge any longer, she sent the photo of the two of them to Dominic. The desire to show him what she was doing was foreign to her, but very satisfying in a whole different way than upkeeping her blog was. It was sort of sharing her life with him. When his reply came, something glowed inside of her, making her smile fondly.


	61. 061 Poliwhirl

**#061 Poliwhirl**

 _Poliwhirl, the tadpole Pokémon. The evolved form of Poliwag. While Poliwhirl is capable of moving on land, it prefers to stay in freshwater ponds and lakes. When out of water, it releases fluid to keep its skin moist. It is always covered in an oily fluid that allows it to slip away from enemies. The swirl on its abdomen is smooth, however, undulating slowly. Staring at it induces drowsiness – Nurse Evergreen._

The morning after meeting Wendy, Nurse Isabelle took a look at the local town's request board, usually involving hospitable strays, runaways, and troublesome wild Pokémon. They were basically quests and occasionally just as exciting. Starved Growlithe, Meowth stuck in a tree. One flyer stood out. Several sick Poliwhirl, who lived in the pond in the local park. Taking that file with her, Isabelle headed out, after taking a photo of the board for her blog. These boards got so little attention that it was an interesting opportunity to write about.

The pond was surprisingly far away from the normal walking route. The path was less well kept here and the further she went, the worse it became. By the time she came to the water, Isabelle was determined to call the park rangers, who were wildlife experts dedicated to a specific area. There was filth everywhere! Some people had apparently held a party here. Bottles of Blastoise Bubble laid everywhere along with food wrappers and pizza boxes. Plastic bags floated on the surface of the water. Nearby, a Poliwhirl had got his left arm and leg stuck in the hole of one of those bags, leaving him unable to swim. He'd apparently been like this for a long while, because he was just floating around on his back, having given up the struggle. He just stared at the sky with an alarming lack of alertness.

Furious, Isabelle grabbed a Pokéball from her belt and released Wartortle. As soon as the flash of light had disappeared, Izzy pointed at the Poliwhirl.

"Wartortle, go and push that Poliwhirl to the shore," she commanded. However, Wartortle took one look at the murky water, sniffed the stench around her, and shook her head. She stepped close to the nurse, pressed the button of her own Pokéball and went back inside.

"What the …? For goodness sake, Wartortle! I am so sick of your attitude! This Poliwhirl needs help and you're too squeamish to swim? Ugh. We're talking later." Isabelle took a minute to compose herself and then she released both Ivysaur and Pidgeotto.

Still fuming at Wartortle's insolence, Isabelle didn't speak much, aside from commanding moves to be used. She tried her hardest not to take it out on her other two Pokémon because they did not deserve her wrath. Regardless, they felt her unhappiness and seemingly worked even harder. Ivysaur dragged Poliwhirl close with his vines. Since Poliwhirl did not show any signs of recognition that he had been released once Izzy cut the plastic with a pair of scissors, Isabelle laid him on a cloth stretcher she'd attached to Pidgeotto, sending him off to the Pokémon centre with a little note attached that more might be coming. She made a mental note to reward the two of them properly later, as they did exactly she trained them to do.

While waiting for Pidgeotto to return, Isabelle stood up and took out her phone from her pocket. She had this neat app, which was rather simple. No video or anything; just voice calling. It served her well, though. She called the central number of the local rangers.

"Hello. This is Nurse Isabelle. Please send a team, for I have a dire situation at Cerulean South park. Over."

No patience for niceties, she merely did her job, provided the coordinates of her location, then hung up. Soon, people would come to clean this up. Until then, Isabelle would have to transport as many ill Pokémon as she could.

During the call, Ivysaur had found a Poliwag with an open cut on its back. It wasn't bleeding anymore, which was good, but it didn't look clean either. So as soon as Pidgeotto was back, he was sent on his way again.

Luckily, those two seemed to be the only ones. The other Pokémon that lived here had left their pool, hovering in the reed nearby, hiding until the area was clean again. Stroking a nearby Poliwhirl's slimy head, Isabelle smiled wryly. She'd called back her Pokémon, which were exhausted from the amount of work.

After reporting this to the police station and checking in on the Poliwhirl and Poliwag brought in, Isabelle finally called it a day. That night, one bed was empty in their room. Wartortle's ball was still on her belt, under the bed. Pidgeotto, in the top bunk above Izzy seemed indifferent, but Ivysaur was abnormally affectionate tonight. It seemed the little grass type was fonder of Wartortle than she was of her team. Isabelle didn't sleep a lot that night, wondering why Wartortle must be this way. Had she, as a trainer, done something wrong? Ivysaur and Pidgeotto turned out perfectly fine.


	62. 062 Poliwrath

**#062 Poliwrath**

 _Poliwrath, the tadpole Pokémon. The evolved form of Poliwhirl and the final evolution of Poliwag. It has powerful muscles in its arms and legs that never tire. When it swims, it uses all the muscles in its body, and is able to swim vast distances with minimal breathing. Poliwrath, despite being an excellent swimmer, usually lives on dry land near the water's edge – Nurse Evergreen._

The following morning, Nurse Isabelle was still in Cerulean, having returned yet again to the park in the south of the city. This time, she sat in the grass of one of the more maintained areas while she watched rangers walk back and forth from that depressing, secluded pond she had discovered yesterday. She struggled to trust the rangers to do their job properly, despite knowing they're trained for this. To soothe her worries, she allowed herself to watch them.

Next to her, on the grass, laid Ivysaur. For once, her starter wasn't napping. He had rested his head on his front paws and was staring out over the water, where Wartortle would be swimming, had she not acted up yesterday. Isabelle stroked Ivysaur over his head gently. Pressing the call button on the Pokéball didn't give a response, which was a first for Izzy. So she'd decided to stop trying for a while.

"I know, Ivy. I feel just as bad as you do, maybe even worse."

"Ivy…" He replied.

Pidgeotto wasn't out, either. He was resting up in the Pokécentre. Izzy pushed him a bit hard yesterday and so he stayed in their room to be sure he hadn't seriously sprained anything.

On the path on the right came the oddest duo Isabelle had seen in a long while. On the left walked a little girl, who looked she was about five or six years old. She wore a frilly yellow dress that looked like a nightgown. From the way she stared ahead, not focussing on anything, Isabelle guessed she might be blind. She did have the most adorable, ecstatic grin on her face, showing off some missing teeth.

On the right walked a massive Poliwrath, who was taller than the girl was. The water/fighting type looked nothing like the Poliwrath she had seen before. This one, instead of the usual mean look, behaved gently as he held the little girl's hand. Instead of a Growlithe for blind people, this girl had a Poliwrath. Well, Isabelle thought amused, it certainly kept robbers away.

"Hey there," Isabelle said kindly, to not startle her. "What a magnificent Poliwrath you have there, little girl. Does he have a name?"

The girl turned her head in the direction of Izzy's voice. "Polly. His name is Polly."

Isabelle smiled. "How fitting. What's your name?"

"Polly."

"Polly and Polly? All right. I am Isabelle. I'm a Pokémon nurse. Do you like Pokémon?"

Polly grinned. "Yes! Polly was my first Pokémon when he was a Polly-wag! But I love all Pokémon."

Izzy had to muffle a snort at "Polly-wag". It was so incredibly adorable. Meanwhile, Ivysaur had crept closer.

"Have you ever touched an Ivysaur, Polly? Because Ivy here is very friendly. Come kneel down, he's not as tall as your Polly-wrath. Poliwrath, be careful, she might fall over." Isabelle instructed gently.

Guided by her Poliwrath, the girl sat on her knees and stroked Ivysaur's head. As she expected, Ivy is exceptionally good with young children, being one of the kindest and most patient Pokémon she knew. Meanwhile, Izzy snapped a photo of the three of them, sending it to Dominic and saving it for her blog. She debated sending it to her mother, but feared she would not approve of Polly-wrath. Her mother was rather … traditional.

After a small while, a man came running, who recognised his daughter because of the Poliwrath. He thanked Isabelle with a deep bow for taking care of his daughter, explaining they liked to go exploring. While Poliwrath was capable, they still worried. Isabelle smiled and said not to worry about it. She stroked Poliwrath's head, praising him for his good work, and waved at them as the family walked away.

Sitting at the lake-side again, Isabelle watched Ivy crawl onto her lap. He seemed a little revived from this meeting.

"Even if Wartortle might leave us, one day, that doesn't mean it's the end. Pokémon come and go. I will not force Wartortle to stay, just as I will not deny a Pokémon that wants to join for a while. You'll find new friends, Ivy. Don't worry."

"Ivy…" was the reply.

"Who knows, maybe you want to leave one day."

"Saur! Saur!" Ivysaur denied vehemently. The poor guy couldn't even imagine a different life than this, it seemed. He was still young, though. His wishes in life could change, as Wartortle's has.


	63. 063 Abra

**#063 Abra**

 _Abra, the psi Pokémon. Abra can sense danger by reading minds. When it does, it teleports itself to a safe location. By hypnotizing itself, Abra is able to teleport or use any of its other extrasensory abilities at any time. Due to the strain of its telepathic powers, however, Abra sleeps 18 hours each day. If it fails to rest long enough, it will become unable to use its powers. Abra lives in urban areas, but has been observed to teleport to a different location once per hour – Nurse Evergreen._

Tonight was the night Nurse Isabelle had been anticipating for a couple weeks, ever since the e-mail reached her. Tonight, she'd have her first, official date with Dominic Whitewater. He'd asked her out almost casually, asking if she'd mind spending the day with him off-duty. Whenever she reread the email, it made her giddy all over again.

Standing in her old bedroom of her parental house in Celadon, Isabelle inspected herself in the full-length mirror one more time, touching up on her make-up. No trousers and sneakers tonight. She wore a knee-length dress in Nidoran blue, adorned with white lace. On her feet, she wore white, strappy heels of medium height. Her curly blonde hair had been done up in a bun on her head, fastened with a flower in the same colour of Ivysaur's bulb. She rarely had the chance to wear this dress (not to mention having to steam out the wrinkles from being stored away in her closet for so long), so she was going to enjoy herself.

Her mother wasn't at home luckily, working a late shift, so when the doorbell rang, Isabelle had to go down to open the door herself. As expected, Dom stood at the door, holding a bouquet of flowers for her, causing her to smile brightly. He'd gone for safe, giving her tulips in a variety of colours. She invited him in as she headed to the kitchen to place the flowers in a vase on the kitchen table. Mum would love these as well, if she remembered correctly.

Dominic looked handsome, no doubt about it; he'd changed his hoodie for a grey jacket on top of a dark coloured shirt. Dark slacks and black shoes never looked wrong on a guy. He'd even combed and put some gel in his brown hair, and his beard was neatly trimmed by a barber. Despite his sweet smile, she could see the nerves in his eyes. His apprehension seemed less when he took in how she looked.

"I hope I look okay?" Isabelle asked, smoothing down her dress. "Despite growing up here, I've never actually been to the game corner."

"You look amazing," Dom promised her, a little breathless. He quickly masked it with a cough. She gave him a fond smile, took his offered arm, and off they went. On the table, next to the flowers, Izzy had left a note for her mum, explaining where she was and promising to call if she wouldn't be home by curfew. Despite having moved out, she still had to hold to her mum's rules whenever she visited.

It was a clear evening as they walked to the arcade. They discussed their plans for the night, only planning on staying for an hour or two at most, before going out for dinner. Dom mentioned he made reservations at a pancake place, which made Isabelle giggle. She'd mention to him she enjoyed pancakes, but hadn't actually expected him to pick that. He seemed a beer and bbq kind of guy.

It wasn't busy inside. A handful of people were already at the slots machines, hoping to win something. While Dom bought some coins for their coin boxes, Isabelle checked out the prizes. There were some neat little prizes such as a few CDs teaching powerful moves as ice beam and flamethrower, to be taught to Pokémon who did not learn them naturally. There was a different set of prizes available, too, but a man stood in front of the sign, making it impossible for Izzy to read it. Oh well, it didn't matter.

For the next hour, Dom and Izzy had a lot of fun, challenging each other who could win something first, or who had the most winnings. After a while, they had doubled their winnings, so they decided to stop while lady luck was still smiling their way.

At the desk, Dom informed what he could get with this amount of coins. The lady behind the counter cheerfully told them they could purchase an Abra with that amount of coins. That immediately killed Isabelle's mood. She tried to play it easy, though.

"An Abra? Can we see it first? Or maybe even pick one? I want a cute one, of course."

"Sure! We got loads." Came the cheerful reply, which was the exact opposite of what Izzy wished to hear.

As they were led to the floor underneath the game corner by a man, Isabelle shot Dom a worried look. He, in turn, took her hand and squeezed it, telling her to stay calm.

The "price room" was as bad as Isabelle feared. The air smelled highly chemical and not in a good way. In tiny cages all over the room were Abra, slouching unnaturally. From the dazed look in their eyes, it was obvious they had been drugged. In horror, Isabelle walked around, faking indecisiveness on which one to pick. What she was actually doing was slide her hand in her purse, locate her phone, and pressed the emergency button. That alerted the police and sent a squad her way as soon as possible.

Isabelle knelt in front of an Abra that had been throwing up in her cage. "They don't look so good, do they?" She remarked casually. The man shrugged. "Aren't you their caretaker?" Isabelle asked, struggling to maintain her cool.

"What do I care about them, missy? They're just for sale."

"Pokémon aren't merchandise," Dominic commented, crossing his arms. While he was muscled from his job, the 'caretaker' had the weight advantage on him.

Isabelle rummaged through her purse for her badge and showed it to him. "I am a Pokémon Nurse. I demand these are taken to a centre right away, or else we'll have them confiscated and you arrested for Pokémon neglect and abuse." Behind her, Dominic held up his badge as well, filling Izzy with pride.

"What?! How dare you, you little…" He reached for the blond nurse while she was distracted, but Dominic leapt in front of her, taking the hit harmlessly against his chest.

"That's my girl you're talking about," the ranger proclaimed, before punching the fat guy himself. That was all it took; one hit and the abuser went down.

The door swung open and a pack of Growlithe ran inside, barking furiously, followed by the police squad Isabelle asked for. A look was enough for the decision to arrest the fat guy to be made, and he was dragged off. Taking her phone out of her purse, Isabelle turned the emergency signal off.

While someone was calling for a Pokémon ambulance, Isabelle sat Dominic down against the wall upstairs, away from that chemic stench that gave her a headache. Feeling a little guilty, Isabelle pressed her cold hands against Dom's cheek. She was quite shaken by what she saw and her hands trembled some. As she knelt between his legs on the plush carpet, Isabelle was close enough to see a scar underneath his left eye which she had never noticed before. His blue eyes stared at her intensely.

Then, he grabbed her blushing cheeks with both hands and pressed his lips against hers. In surprise, she froze for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck to kiss him back. When some of the police agents on the background cheered, Isabelle broke away, with her cheeks as red as a Charmander. Dominic merely grinned at her, kissing her forehead before sitting back.

Taking a glance at his watch, Dominic laughed; "We missed our dinner." Isabelle chuckled, smiling softly.

"Yeah… we've been distracted. I'm not really hungry, though. Are you?"

"Nah,"

Hand in hand, he walked her home. At her doorstep, he kissed her one more time. Because he was taller than her, she had to stand on her toes, and still he had to bow down. Neither seemed to mind, though. With Butterfree in her stomach, Isabelle watched him leave from the kitchen window, sighing happily.


	64. 064 Kadabra

**#064 Kadabra**

 _Kadabra, the psi Pokémon. The evolved form of Abra. Kadabra emits alpha waves strong enough to induce headaches, and can even cause clocks to run backwards, machines to malfunction, and delicate devices to cease functioning altogether. When it has a headache itself, the alpha waves become unusual. Kadabra can double the amplitude of its alpha waves when holding its spoon. The waves increase further in strength the more danger Kadabra faces. All of Kadabra's brain cells work in unison while it uses its powers. Kadabra lives in urban areas – Nurse Evergreen._

In the Saffron city Pokémon centre, Nurse Isabelle was packing her medical bag. The sun had already set, but she was in the habit to have this done so she wouldn't have to do it in the morning. She checked whether her berries weren't spoiled and whether she had enough to cure every kind of common infliction, be it poison or confusion, or anything else.

Some fluttering could be heard and then something descended on the windowsill of the open window. Expecting some stray Pidgey, Isabelle was disappointed to see a massive Venomoth there. Walking to the window, she took the note from it. The note was written on black paper in dark purple, cursive letters, which Isabelle recognised as Sabrina's, for she Izzy had kept the previous note. The handwriting was shaky, though, and spoke of great peril. Nurse Evergreen must come at once, she'd written. With a sigh and a longing look at her bed, Izzy picked up her medical bag and told Venomoth to meet her in front of the centre. Sabrina was somewhat of a friend of hers, and she would not ignore a request for help.

Through the dark streets of Saffron, Isabelle rode a loaned bike next to Venomoth as it led the way to the gym. Isabelle didn't know the town well enough to find it on her own, late at night. In case Venomoth might spread poisonous pollen Isabelle rode next to it, instead of behind it, but it sure could fly fast. With so much exercise involved in the life of a Pokémon nurse, no one even had the chance to get fat, even though Isabelle took great care to prevent that regardless.

The gym wasn't hard to recognise. The building's features were dark and obscured, but many people ran out of the building, in panic. Some carried their Abra or Venonat, others cradled a bent spoon as if it were the most valuable item they owned. At the doorway, Isabelle met up with Sabrina.

True to her character, Sabrina looked absolutely calm. Her dark green hair, almost black in the darkness of night, was perfectly groomed and smooth, and her red robes were unwrinkled. She smiled serenely when Isabelle came up to her.

"So, why is everyone panicked?" Isabelle asked casually as if this was entirely normal.

"Kadabra is having a nightmare," Sabrina merely stated.

"So?"

"He is currently sleepwalking and believes he's under attack. He has attacked everyone on sight with his confusion, sending them flying."

"Hm… That's bad. All right, I'm going in. Team!" Isabelle released all of her Pokémon. "We've got a sleepwalking Kadabra that's attacking at random. We have to wake him up!" She frowned slightly at Ivysaur, who would wake up at sunrise exactly and want to play. "You should be good at that," Ivysaur merely grinned at the nurse.

The gym was an absolute mess on the inside. Chairs lay broken on their sides as if smashed against the walls. Tables were overturned with legs missing. Thank goodness all of the Pokémon seem to have gotten out.

The Kadabra wasn't hard to find. He kept shouting as he flung dolls from a creepy-looking doll house around. Why was approaching him a good idea, again?

"Hey!" Isabelle shouted, causing the psi Pokémon to turn around. Pidgeotto flew behind her, sending gusts of wind its way to interrupt attacks. It didn't seem to wake him up, though, since he raised his single spoon at Isabelle, who braced herself, acting as the bait. However, at the last moment, his attack hit Ivysaur, who had been sneaking close. The little grass type was flung backwards and slid a little over the smooth floor. When he got up, he shook his head, entirely disoriented.

What her started did after that was so unexpected yet amazing, Isabelle would tell everyone about it who would stand still long enough to listen. In his confusion, he looked at Kadabra, charged while shouting, and headbutted it with more physical power she knew the bulb Pokémon had or ever would have.

Kadabra and Ivysaur crashed down on the floor and Kadabra hit his head on the table the dollhouse was on. When he sat up, he held his bleeding head, having probably a massive headache, and looked around confused at the mess.

Isabelle cheered and cradled Ivysaur in her arms, curing his confusion for him with love. Behind her, Wartortle picked up one of the dolls and took it with her.


	65. 065 Alakazam

**#065 Alakazam**

 _Alakazam, the psi Pokémon. The evolved form of Kadabra and the final evolution of Abra. Alakazam is able to use all forms of psychic abilities. These powers are used to move its body, as opposed to its weak muscles. It also uses its psychic powers to hold up its head, which is too heavy to be supported by its neck, due to its continually growing brain. It is said to have an excellent memory and can remember everything that it has experienced since hatching as an Abra. It is found in urban areas – Nurse Evergreen._

After the sleepwalking Kadabra incident, Nurse Isabelle stayed over at Saffron gym, in case any more events such as those happened. After all, they merely woke up Kadabra, rather than solving the sleepwalking issue Fortunately, the night turned into dawn quietly. Just after dawn, Isabelle was expected at the battlefield, where she would see the case she had come to Saffron for in the first place. The Kadabra would have to wait until the following night.

After a quick breakfast of tea and a roll with jam, Isabelle walked through the hallway to the main hall on her socks. Sabrina was one of the gymleaders who preferred no shoes in her gym, quite like Erika in Celadon. Everywhere, members of the gym were glueing together chairs that had been smashed or matching orphan legs with their table. With a light, encouraging smile, she tiptoed her way through as she approached the massive double doors ahead.

Ever since Sabrina became serious about this gym, she had renovated the place. Much more natural light, for example. Less oppressive, too. Inside, the green-haired lady stood with her Alakazam. The humanoid psychic Pokémon was only a bit smaller than the gym leader, but a lot smarter, although Sabrina easily surpassed Isabelle in intelligence.

"Good morning. Here I am. So, what's the matter with Alakazam?"

"Let me show you, Nurse Evergreen,"

"Please. Call me Isabelle. Nurse Evergreen is my mother."

"Alright. I'm sorry, Alakazam. This is necessary for demonstration." Sabrina pulled a small recording device from a pocket of her robes. When she pressed play, Isabelle was strongly reminded of Beedrill. The familiar buzzing sound, however, had a severe effect on Alakazam. Immediately, he grabbed his head, crying out in extreme terror, stepping back away from the buzzing noise. Because it clearly agitated the poor Pokémon, Sabrina stopped it after only a few seconds. Together, they stroked Alakazam until he calmed down. Alakazam need psychological focus, of course, to hold their heads up because their bodies are not physically strong enough.

"Scared of bees, such as Beedrill? That's a problem... " Isabelle sat down on the bench of the challenger's supporters.

"This knowledge has already spread. I can no longer use my Alakazam in battle as this fear poses an unfair fight. I wish to challenge those trainers, not give the badge away for free because we cannot conquer a psychological challenge."

"Hmm.., this will take a while to solve. Of course, it's quite possibly manageable. You just need to spend a lot of work on Alakazam. Are you willing to do this? You could retire Alakazam and look to evolve that sleepwalking Kadabra instead. Quite a collection you've got, by the way."

"Of course, Isabelle. Tell me what I must do. I am not ready to give up yet"

Taking out her phone out of her pocket, she played with it in her hands, contemplating whether she should call first or tell Sabrina first. The latter won.

"Alakazam won't like this at all. It's called exposure therapy. Basically, we'd have Alakazam meet a well-trained Beedrill once a week or so. From it merely sitting quietly in the back of the room, till being able to touch it and fight it again. This'll be mentally challenging for Alakazam, since he'll have to face his fears."

"But he'll be okay after this, right?"

"I'm quite sure he'll be. He'll never love them, but we aim to redirect its fear to willingness to fight."

Sabrina placed a soft kiss on Alakazam's head. "Will you be doing this treatment?"

Isabelle shook her head. "Not likely. I know someone who works in the centre nearby. She's a big fan of yours. Don't worry," Isabelle laughed, seeing the apprehensive look on Sabrina's face. "She isn't as preppy as most Joys. She's rather alternative. Long, Arbok-purple hair. These thigh high boots. She's really cool. I like her," Izzy nodded. "She was there when you sent me that note with Venomoth to make this appointment. She was very, very excited that I'm here today."

Sabrina allowed a soft smile. "When can she come?"

Through the phone in Izzy's hands came a cheer and a shout: "I can be there in ten minutes!" Sabrina and Isabelle laughed as the connection was broken.  
"Her idea, I swear." Izzy promised.

When the Saffron Pokémon centre's head nurse arrived, Isabelle gave her a hug.

"If you feel up for it: there's also a Kadabra here that sleepwalks, and I expect several neglected Abra to come soon. Remember that article on the black market selling of Pokémon? That they cracked open a major link in the chain in Celadon arcade? Some of the Abra found there are coming here, as Sabrina here is a specialist." Izzy didn't mention she was the one who reported that establishment.

"Sweet! I'm Ursula, by the way, but I go by Urla. I don't think we've met yet? I've only recently taken over the local centre but haven't had the chance to introduce myself"

"Well met. I am Sabrina. I look forward to working with you." The ladies shook hands. Sabrina seemed as serene as ever, while Urla could barely contain her excitement.

"Let me know how it goes, Urla. I look forward to reading your progress stories!" They gave each other a hug and then Izzy left the two of them to discussing the treatment plan. Another success.


	66. 066 Machop

_Machop, the superpower Pokémon. Machop's entire body is covered with muscles that will never tire or cramp. With these muscles, it can lift many times its own body weight. It spends its time and energy practicing all different forms of martial arts and trying to improve its abilities. Machop lives in the mountains – Nurse Evergreen._

Because Wartortle had been difficult lately, Nurse Isabelle had decided to spend the day training her. With permission, they were in a local training centre, which was built to allow trainers to work with their Pokémon, even if the weather is bad. This place was designed to train on physical power and stamina primarily. There were obstacle courses, dumbbells, and treadmills. No swimming water in sight, to prevent Wartortle from escaping

Few people were around. Just two trainers with their Pokémon as far as Isabelle could see. Taking the ball from her belt, she summoned Wartortle. Her water type seemed surprised to be called again.

Sitting on a weight press bench with her legs crossed, Isabelle took a deep breath and faced the turtle

"Hey there, Wartortle. I wanted to talk to you about your recent behaviour. It seems to be you're unhappy with me. However, you are a nurse's Pokémon at the moment and I need you to work with me. I am aware this might not be your ideal situation and I promise I'm looking into how to make things better for you, but until that time, I need your full co-operation. If you get filthy, I'll make sure you're either washed or given the opportunity to wash yourself. But there are sick Pokémon out there. Injured Pokémon! I need a water type I can trust. Right now, I need that to be you. Don't forget you wished to join me, back when we met. I did not force you. Am I clear?"

This clearly was not what Wartortle wanted to hear, but Isabelle received a reluctant nod. Isabelle stood up from the bench.

"Sorry Wartortle. I don't have a new home for you just yet. Let's get to work. You've been neglecting your attacks. As long as you're with me, I want you to be the best you can be. I will not ask things of you that you cannot do, but I will push you to your limits. It'll be rough, but when your water gun is strong enough to wash sludge away, it'll have been worth it. It'll save a lot of scrubbing." Isabelle said as she walked over to the treadmill.

So in the following hours, Isabelle trained Wartortle firmly. The training helped increase her speed at the treadmill, her physical power with the dumbbells, and the strength of her tackle at the heavy bag. While Wartortle wasn't the strongest or the fastest Pokémon she's ever worked with, she definitely was the most stubborn one. When she finally got to work, she got the job done.

As Isabelle was tossing some large, rubber ball at her for her to use her water gun on to send it back, a Pokémon appeared from the weight lifting area. Its grey skin and hip-length size told Isabelle it was a Machop. As Isabelle and Wartortle trained, the fighting type watched on, gazing longingly at the female water type. By the time the nurse declared they were done, he was gone.

Only when Isabelle and Wartortle were taking a break and having lunch, the Machop appeared again. He was carrying something this time. He held a box of Pokémon treats in the shape of bubbles. Isabelle smiled at the sweet gesture but Wartortle took one look at the Machop with his cookies and turned away her head, causing Izzy to sigh. The Machop looked devastated, so Isabelle held out her hand to accept the gift for Wartortle. She'd already caught the trainer's eye, who sat a little while away, eating some pasta. Both the trainer and the nurse shared a smile at Machop's puppy love.

After having done every single type of training one more time, Isabelle called it a day. Talking about the size of the bath at the Pokémon centre, they were interrupted by a cry behind them.

"Machop! Chop! Mach! Machop!"

The Machop came running with a water lily bouquet, held together by a ribbon of the same colour as Wartortle's tail. A truly well-thought present. However, Wartortle still looked down on the smaller Pokémon. She did take the flowers, though and then walked out of the gym. At the expression of uncertain hope on Machop's face, both trainers burst out laughing.

"I'd hate to be the one to tell Machop Wartortle isn't really interested," Isabelle said, causing the trainer to grimace.

"He'll get over it, I hope. She might like him better if he were evolved or so."

"Maybe. She is a tough lady to please."


	67. 067 Machoke

**#067 Machoke**

 _Machoke, the superpower Pokémon. The evolved form of Machop. Machoke is a Pokémon of immense strength. Its muscles are as hard as steel, and it is capable of lifting extremely heavy objects with only one finger. Despite its immense strength, it is modest and often helps people with manual labour. It can be found in the mountains, where it trains daily – Nurse Evergreen._

Ever since their date at Celadon arcade, nurse Isabelle and Dominic the Pokémon ranger kept in regular contact. No matter the time of day, Isabelle could always text him during long shifts as she watched over sick Pokémon to help them through the night. She'd begun to crave his companionship.

Dominic mentioned he'd be nearby, at a Pokémon tournament, and invited her to come. One of his Pokémon would be competing and the tournament would always welcome a nurse. And, he added, he missed her. The way he said that always made her blush whenever she remembered or reread that text.

With her medical bag swung over one shoulder, Isabelle entered the town, which seemed to revolve around this tournament. Stalls where food was sold were everywhere and, between them, bets were placed, Pokémon paw prints in plaster were sold, and many other things.

As she went to the registration booth, she identified herself and volunteered as a nurse for this event. The manager was called, who shook her hand over and over in obvious ecstatic happiness. Nurses, apparently, were expensive for minor events like these. A calloused hand placed itself over theirs, preventing Izzy's wrist from being dislocated. It belonged to the tall Dominic who was backed by an even taller Machoke.

Happy to see him, she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. His bodyheat was higher than hers, which felt amazing. She could hear him smile when he wrapped his arms around her waist, cradling her against his body before letting her go.

"Izzy, meet Machoke. Machoke, this is nurse Isabelle, my girlfriend." While Dominic grinned at this, Izzy flushed pink. It was true, though.

"Nice to meet you, Machoke. So, you'll be competing in the tournament?"

Machoke nodded with a grunt. His attention wasn't much on the two of them, as it was on the competition. The sounds of other Pokémon set his blood on fire.

"I wish the two of you the best of luck. I'm going to set up a little tent near the hill for the injured. I could use your strength." While Izzy was, in fact, talking to Machoke, she laughed when Dominic flexed. "Yes, you may help, too," she told him.

The crew of the event was willing to help and within no time, the blond nurse had a tent, a few beds, and more supplies than she would actually need. All around her feet, her Pokémon ran around. Ivysaur has not left her since he was summoned, following her every move. Wartortle was talking to Raichu on one of the beds in the back, showing the electric type a small doll she had picked up somewhere. Izzy wasn't quite sure where or what Wartortle planned to do with it. Pidgeotto kept watch near the entrance.

Then a magnified voice told everyone the event was about to start. It was a simple concept; there was this steep hill and it had to be conquered. A Pokémon could win by standing on top of it when the time ran out, which was about two hours, or when it was the last Pokémon remaining. Isabelle liked the idea. It tested strength, stamina, but also intelligence. Dom's Machoke had a good chance of winning, strength-wise, but it didn't seem intelligent. He simply did what Dom or Raichu asked of him and nothing more. A common trait in fighting types but he seemed like a well-trained guy.

When the event started, an unlikely Pokémon waggled its way to the top with ease. There, it stood, looking confused and slightly pained as it held its head. With a slight frown, Dominic ordered Machoke to push the Psyduck off the hill and claim it for his own. Shoving a Psyduck off a hill was the easy part. Only a few minutes in, Machoke would have to defend himself and keep his ground against attacks from all kinds of Pokémon. Grass types tried to tug him off while other fighting types met him in brute strength. All the while the poor Psyduck rolled and bounced down the hill, coming to an abrupt stop near the bottom.

Isabelle couldn't watch much. The initial Psyduck needed a small bandage and a kiss, and after that, many other Pokémon were brought in. A bruised Oddish, a stunned Mankey. Isabelle was surprisingly busy, but few of the Pokémon were seriously injured. Such wounds were not allowed in this competition. Most just had their prides dented.

In the end, Machoke lost. Isabelle couldn't see who or whose it was, but she was happy for it. Machoke had been tough to beat. Dominic returned with bags of Pokémon food and takeaway pasta for the two of them. Sitting outside as the buzz of the competition died down, they sat shoulder to shoulder as they ate their food, chatting softly about today's event and anything interesting that might have happened since they last met.

The situation with Wartortle worried her and she confided in him, but Dom didn't quite know the answer to the dilemma either. He offered to loan Raichu to her, but that wouldn't solve the problem in the long run. He'd keep an eye out, he promised her. He teased her a bit about her small team, suggesting she could catch a new Pokémon. She had a few ideas but hadn't put any of them into practice yet. What if they were as unwilling as Wartortle was? Still, Izzy hadn't quite let go of the idea yet to add to her team.


	68. 068 Machamp

**#068 Machamp**

 _Machamp, the superpower Pokémon. The evolved form of Machoke and the final evolution of Machop. Machamp punches extremely fast. Because of its four arms, it can hit from a multitude of angles and pin all of its foe's limbs at once. However, it has poor dexterity, and cannot handle delicate work without its arms becoming tangled. It is a rash Pokémon that rushes into action without forethought. Machamp can be found living in the mountains – Nurse Evergreen._

After the tournament in which Dominic's Machoke fought and lost, there was a lull before the winner would be announced and crowned. This was the busiest moment for Nurse Isabelle, since all trainers wanted an okay from the nurse. Raichu and Wartortle let people in whenever a bed became free. Pidgeotto took medicine from the table and flew it to Izzy whenever she asked for it, and Dominic helped Izzy with the patients, holding them still or calming their trainers while Isabelle checked them out. While it was chaotic, Isabelle loved it. She was in her element. This is what she had studied for, and this is what she wishes to do with her life.

When all of the trainers had been dealt with, a massive man entered, followed by a Machamp. The four-armed fighting type was tall for its kind, taller than average, but its trainer was even larger. He was easiest the tallest man Isabelle had ever seen, and that included men such as Giovanni from Viridian gym.

Unlike Giovanni, this man had a kind smile on his face. He did not wear much. Merely a championship belt and shorts, revealing his muscular chest. His shoulders were broad and his six-pack so defined that Isabelle longed to run her hands over it, to test if it was as hard as it looked. She had no doubt this man was strong enough to lift her easily, even though she wasn't as skinny anymore as she used to be.

The man stuck out his hand to Isabelle, who looked flustered in her activity, with strands of her hair coming loose from her braid, making her look rather messy. Isabelle, self-consciously, ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to smooth it down, making the man laugh a booming laugh.

"Don't worry about that, miss nurse. I respect women that work hard, and the colour of your cheeks and the amount of patched up Pokémon tells me that you do. I've heard great things of you from the trainers outside. I'm Bruno, and this is Machamp." Next to Izzy, Dominic stood to action, standing straighter than she's seen him in a while. Bruno looked over at him.

"You're Bruno? From the Elite Four?" Dominic asked, with a tone in his voice she hadn't heard before.

"Sure am. I know you. Was it your Machoke that held the hill for so long?" Bruno stuck out his hand. "I must offer my compliments, then. Your Machoke was great. You clearly trained him well."

Isabelle wasn't particularly interested in competitive battling and so she wasn't that hyped about the Elite Four. Dominic clearly was, it seemed, and so he sat down somewhere to talk about the training of their Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Isabelle checked out Machamp. He had some bruises on his body from where Machoke tried to defend himself, but the healthy glow of his skin told her these would be no problem. Machamp was one of the healthiest Pokémon she had ever seen. Like Machoke for Dom, Machamp seemed to revere Bruno and follow his every command. Fighting types could be scary to inspect, especially quickly after a fight, but Machamp held himself wonderfully. He did exactly as she asked and made no sudden movements.

After Bruno and Machamp had taken their prize for winning the tournament (which was some big-buckled belt) Dominic sat down with Isabelle in the nurse's tent. Dom sat with his back to one of the support beams with Isabelle sitting at an angle with her legs on top of his, resting her sore feet. As they shared some lemon ice cream from the same carton, Dominic explained that the Elite Four were using their fame to promote Pokémon welfare. Kind of like what Izzy and Dom were doing, but then on a bigger scale. It made Isabelle more interested in them.

After the ice cream was gone, Dominic angled Izzy's head up with his cold fingers and kissed her softly on her lemon-flavoured lips. Despite both of them having chilly lips, his lips were soft against hers. With her eyes closed, she kissed him back, languidly and lazily, and they relaxed from a long and hectic day.


	69. 069 Bellsprout

**#069 Bellsprout**

 _Bellsprout, the flower Pokémon. Its roots resemble feet, and it uses them as such. It will plant these feet in the ground to replenish water, but it is unable to flee while it is rooted. It has one green leaf on each side of its body. Its yellow head is bell-shaped and has what appear to be pink lips at the end. Bellsprout prefers hot and humid places, living in forests – Nurse Evergreen._

As Nurse Isabelle stored her phone away, she reflected on what a curious girl Wendy Foxglove was. She had called Izzy just now, proclaiming that she needed her help and that 'Isa' must come this instant. Luckily for her, or maybe she knew, Isabelle was close by; Wendy was just outside of town, near a berry farm.

Because it was such a pleasant day, Isabelle had all her Pokémon out. Ivysaur walked right next to her, Pidgeotto flew somewhere above them, and Wartortle walked a bit behind them. Isabelle reflected on how she'd like to add to the team, soon. There was more room for her 'family' to grow. She hadn't quite met the right Pokémon yet, however.

At the fields of the farm, Isabelle first saw Wigglytuff bouncing around. Despite their kind being known for arrogance and being difficult to handle, this one was exceptionally well-behaved. Isabelle wondered whether Wendy was a better trainer than she let on. Izzy knew her as this naïve girl that believed all Pokémon had good in them, which was a bit of an optimistic view but a very good one for a nurse to have.

"Hello Isa! Glad you could make it!" Standing in the middle of a field with wiggly things, Wendy waved at the approaching team. Her afro had been tamed into two thick braids. As Izzy came closer, she realised what was going on. The Bellsprout were rooted to feed themselves and would be unable to leave the earth until they were done. The waving sea of Bellsprout made her feel a bit nauseated.

"Let me guess. We're on guard duty?" When Wendy nodded excitedly, Isabelle groaned.

"What's wrong, Isa?"

Isabelle shook her head. "Nothing, really. There's just something about these Pokémon that annoys me. Must be their derpy face." Speaking of a derpy face reminded her of Psyduck and Dominic's distaste for them. When she thought of Dominic, she thought of the kiss, which coloured her freckled cheeks a rosy colour.

"A blush!" Wendy stepped out of the field, revealing she wasn't wearing any shoes or socks, spread out a blanket and sat down on it, in front of the field. She patted the cloth. "Sit and spill!"

While Ivysaur pranced and prowled through the field of wiggling Bellsprout, Isabelle filled her in on what had happened, especially with the Abra and the tournament with Machoke. Wendy was grinning and clapping excitedly, as if she were watching a romance film on television and her favourite couple was finally having a scene.

"I'm so happy for you, Isa. You deserve all the happiness. He sounds like a great man. I'd love to meet him. Is he handsome?" When Isabelle nodded, she squealed.

Pretending not to notice Wendy's shipping of her and Dom, Izzy watched Wartortle and Wigglytuff. Despite being so hard to handle, Wartortle seemed to make female friends easily. First Raichu, despite type differences, and now Wigglytuff.

"So, Wendy. Do you have anyone you're exceptionally fond of?"

"Nah."

"Nah?"

"Nah. Don't care much for romance for myself. I don't want to kiss no one." Wendy shrugged, taking a thermos of homemade iced tea from her pack and pouring three glasses.

"Fair enough. That's always an option. Your whole heart belongs to the Pokémon?" Izzy asked as Wigglytuff showed up to take a cup of iced tea.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine with it. I still enjoy hearing about your adventures though," Wendy added with a fond smile.

As expected, only a few Pidgey tried to bother the Bellsprout but were chased away by Pidgeotto swiftly, who still had dominance and authority over all of his kind. As the sun was setting and the Bellsprout left the earth, Isabelle hugged Wendy as they said goodbye. They'd had a picnic while talking about practically everything. Wendy had been shocked to hear about the drowned Growlithe, yet less furious about catching the killer than Izzy had been. She mostly was in tears for the poor puppies, which did not surprise Isabelle at all. Promising to call, Isabelle left her friend again, going their own ways.

A bit later that night, she received a text, saying "Little secret: the Bellsprout did not need guarding. I just needed an excuse to see you again!" with a little winking face. Izzy laughed and confirmed it had been great to catch up.


	70. 070 Weepinbell

**#070 Weepinbell**

 _Weepinbell, the flycatcher Pokémon. The evolved form of Bellsprout. Weepinbell camouflages itself as a plant in the forest whilst awaiting an unwary victim. When its prey draws near it sprays toxic pollen to immobilize the target before melting it with its internal acids. It oozes a neutralizing fluid that prevents these internal acids from melting its own body. Weepinbell live in forests where it hangs from tree branches by its stem to sleep. If it moves around during sleep, Weepinbell may slip and awaken to find itself on the ground – Nurse Evergreen._

Whenever Nurse Isabelle found herself in Celadon city, there were two women she longed to visit. The first one was her mother, who had been a nurse in her own age, but now just took care of Pokémon that needed long-term treatment. Premature hatchlings, for example, or Pokémon that whose trust needed to be won again. Isabelle knew for a fact her mother, Eleanor Evergreen, was wishing for a grandchild. It had been mentioned on several occasions. Both women knew that their love for their job came first, though. Eleanor had been relatively old when she had her daughter, compared to the other mothers in her neighbourhood. She was rapidly approaching her sixties and her blond hair had lost most of its golden colour and was streaked with grey. Sandy, Isabelle called it affectionately.

After tea at the zoo that was Mother's house, Isabelle headed over to Celadon gym, where she would meet up with the second woman she longed to see in Celadon. Erika, the current gymleader and a childhood friend of Izzy, had invited her over for dinner. Because Izzy had never been to Erika's new house since becoming gymleader, they had decided to meet at the gym and walk the last bit themselves.

Erika lived surprisingly close to the gym. Isabelle was told the gym owned the park around the greenhouse (which was the gym, basically), and in this park was a lovely house that may have served as a gatehouse in old times. What made Isabelle laugh was this little Meowth latch on the door, to let small Pokémon in. It was such an Erika thing to have.

Despite the warmth of a spring afternoon, Erika was still dressed in the traditional, eastern robes. As Isabelle was handed a knife and told to chop the vegetables, they talked.

"How are things, Erika?"

"They're good, albeit a bit slow. Not many trainers this last month. My Pokémon are getting restless. Now that you're in Celadon, would you like to battle me, tomorrow morning? Weepinbell here, for example, hasn't been trained in over a week. See how he's bothering those Oddish? He has too much energy. I have too many Pokémon at the gym."

Isabelle had indeed seen it. "Don't worry. I'll fight you. I have a Pokémon that'd love to fight. My Pidgeotto. Simple guard duty isn't enough for him, apparently. I'm happy you asked. How's the search for a new trainer at the gym?"

"Not bad at all. I have my eye on this skinny one. I have a suspicion that she might be trans, not that it would matter at all. I'm genuinely impressed with her Vileplume. She's a strong trainer and a compassionate one. That's the most important thing. Have you worked with any trans nurses? How should I even treat her?"

"Hm," Izzy stirred the cut vegetables into the stew. Erika preferred to eat vegetarian, so there was no meat in this stew at all. "If I've worked with any, I didn't notice at all. Not that I searched for it. As for how to treat her, I suppose only she could tell you that."

Erika smiled at her friend, agreeing, before serving dinner. As the girls ate at the table, they were surrounded by eating Pokémon. Oddish at their feet, eating from bowls. A Gloom, a Weepinbell, and some Bellsprout. Despite the crowd, Isabelle loved it. Being surrounded by Pokémon truly was a joy. It also helped that these weren't injured. It was satisfying to heal Pokémon, but it felt good to see them healthy, too.

Sitting cross-legged on a mattress on the floor, Isabelle had Ivy between her legs as she combed out her long, curly hair.

"Erika…," Isabelle started. "Have you ever been in love?"

That caught Erika's attention immediately. "Why…?"

"How do you keep a guy happy? I'm seeing this guy, a ranger, and … we've been kissing." Her freckled cheeks coloured a rosy colour, causing the older Erika to grin. "Both times, he was the one to kiss me. How do I keep him happy? How often do I even meet up with him? My work keeps me so busy…"

Cradling Weepinbell on her lap, Erika took a moment to respond. "The first and best piece of advice I can give you is to listen to your heart. Your heart knows best. If you feel like kissing him, just do it. Of course, there are certain kissing techniques that are sure to get his attention."

After a lengthy talk about how and where to kiss, Isabelle laid down but was unable to sleep for a long while. A certain dark-haired ranger was heavily on her mind. Whenever she tried to imagine her using some of Erika's advice, she'd get all bashful. She had been told, though, that the first time trying something new like that was always scary.

The next day, Izzy would be joining Erika at the gym, to fight her restless Pokémon and generally cuddle some healthy ones.


	71. 071 Victreebel

**#071 Victreebel**

 _Victreebel, the flycatcher Pokémon. The evolved form of Weepinbell and the final evolution of Bellsprout. Covering Victreebel's mouth is a leaf with a long, brown, yellow-tipped vine growing out of it. The vine is flicked to mimic an animal in order to attract prey. Victreebel also produces a sweet scent to further aid in luring its victims. Acid that has dissolved numerous prey animals becomes sweeter and even more effective at attracting prey. It can be found in small groups and is territorial. Victreebel has been seen to hoard food, usually small birds and rodents, and collect leaf stones to perform evolution rituals at night to help Weepinbell become more Victreebel. Victreebel lives in forests – Nurse Evergreen._

Half-hidden underneath a mop of messy curls, Nurse Isabelle sleepily watched the sun rise as a chipper Erika was baking banana pancakes in the kitchen. Wearing a hoodie borrowed from Dominic, she curled her legs underneath her, struggling to stay awake. As Izzy took a sip of her herbal tea, she mentally cursed the fact that grass types woke up at dawn, so, naturally, trainers specialised in them did, as well. As Erika brought a huge stack of the pancakes to the breakfast nook, Isabelle suppressed a huge yawn.

"Oh, come on. It's not that early."

"Ye-e-e-es, it is," Isabelle said, yawning again.

As the girls ate their breakfast, Weepinbell came along, nibbled Izzy's toes for a moment, before hopping off again. Isabelle merely watched it with a raised eyebrow. Erika barely even looked. The sensation was oddly wet and not very comfortable.

"Something tells me you're rather used to the weird things Pokémon can do," her friend said.

Isabelle laughed. "Yep. You can't begin to imagine the trouble they can get into. Did I tell you about the Raticate who thought it was a good idea to chew on live cables in power plant?" They took their time at breakfast, telling stories of silly things Pokémon had gotten up to.

"How are you doing, Erika? It's been a while since … you know, your mum passed." Isabelle asked carefully.

"I've come to terms with it. It still sucks and I really wish she were here, but that's life, I suppose. Heard they're no closer to a cure yet."

Isabelle shook her head. "Don't think so, no. They're still working at it." Izzy reached over to squeeze Erika's hand, who gave her a small smile in return.

"Thanks, Izzy."

"Of course. You're my closest friend. We take care of each other."

When the two girls arrived at the gym, they were greeted by the gym's trainers with a respectful bow. Izzy felt a little uncomfortable, but Erika seemed used to it.

"Mireille, how's your Oddish? If it's still a little weak, plant her in the special soil today. Avabella, section three needs care today. Could you see to it? Uma, harvest the herbs. Joliet, you work in the perfume store today."

The girls took the commands obediently and took off to do their chores. Fascinatingly, there wasn't even any hesitance or reluctance. The ladies seemed to look up to Erika, despite her friend only having taken over this gym recently.

Because everyone was busy, Erika and Isabelle had the middle of the greenhouse to themselves. As Erika released Weepinbell, Isabelle let all of her Pokémon out. Pidgeotto to fight, Wartortle to swim around in the little irrigation canals through the greenhouse, and Ivysaur because grass types loved greenhouses the way flying types loved the open air and water types loved the sea.

As Ivysaur leapt in and out of the fragrant foliage, Isabelle and Erika readied themselves to battle. Pidgeotto seemed confident, having type advantage. Isabelle wasn't so sure. She wasn't an experienced battler at all, and Erika was. It was her job, after all. Surely, she had fought more battles against type disadvantage than Isabelle had fought in total.

Luckily for her, Pidgeotto knew his trainer and didn't rely on commands much. He flew when he needed to dodge, he knew when to attack, and he knew which attacks to use. Izzy merely needed to sit back and watch the show. It suited her well, actually; she didn't enjoy commanding harm on another Pokémon. She would wince whenever either Pokémon took a harsh hit, but the fight was amazing to see. After a while, they seemed to have reached an impasse. Both Pokémon were exhausted yet still standing, panting hard. If Isabelle wasn't so worried for her bird, she would have chuckled at the sight of a Weepinbell panting. He looked rather ridiculous, inflating and deflating. However, the desire to laugh disappeared when Weepinbell lit up, swiftly evolving into a Victreebel. With renewed energy, he wrapped his vines around Pidgeotto and slammed him into the ground. When her bird did not get up, Isabelle ran onto the field to gather her courageous flying type in her arms. She pressed her lips against the glorious comb on his head.

"You did splendidly. I'm proud of you, Pidgeotto," she whispered.

Meanwhile, Wartortle and Ivysaur were a bit deeper into the greenhouse. Ivysaur had discovered some sweet scent somewhere in the greenery, a delightful fragrance he longed to find the source of. However, whenever he got close, Wartortle would watergun his behind, forcing him to growl at her. By the time the turtle had gone away, Isabelle called out for him, claiming it's time to leave. With much reluctance, he left the sweet scent behind.

"That was so cool, Erika. I'm glad we managed to get Weepinbell the last push it needed to evolve. Hope he feels better in his new skin soon," Isabelle cheered.

"For sure. Thanks so much for the fight, Izzy and Pidgeotto. Please come back soon, and stay for a week or so. You could take that ranger of yours, as well!"

"He's not _my_ ranger," Isabelle protested, flushing a light pink. It only made Erika laugh.


	72. 072 Tentacool

**#072 Tentacool**

 _Tentacool, the jellyfish Pokémon. Tentacool absorbs sunlight and refracts it using water inside its body to convert it into beam energy. It is also able to control Pokémon it touches with its tentacles. Tentacool can be found throughout the ocean. It will sometimes wash ashore and become shrivelled and dehydrated, but may be revived if it is thrown back into the ocean – Nurse Evergreen._

Today would be one of the first days that saw Wartortle fully re-joined as part of the team, after the rejection from the time when the Poliwhirl needed help. Keeping a careful eye on her, Nurse Isabelle walked over the beach on her bare feet. Wearing her trusty shorts again, she also wore her t-shirt that had an image of a Meowth with an ice-cream cone on it. While she actually didn't have a whole lot of time to spend her days like this, strolling the beach, it was one of their last opportunities before they headed inlands again, towards the mountains and caves of Pewter city.

So before they traded sand for rock and gravel, the nursing team would spend a day or two at the beach. Pidgeotto, far above, was riding the strong sea wind like how a surfer would ride waves. Wartortle was in the water, seemingly interested in something; she made these chirping sounds, swimming back and forth as to find a good angle of whatever was agitating her. With Ivysaur at her heels, Izzy approached the water.

There was another turtle around Wartortle, significantly larger than her, yet Izzy couldn't immediately identify what it was. It didn't have Wartortle's tail, so it had to be a Squirtle, yet the colouring was way off. It had much darker skin with splotches of a colour similar to Wartortle's. The shell was less refined than Squirtle's, too. Much wilder and streamlined. It darted away the moment Izzy got too close.

With a smile, Isabelle realised this had to be an actual wild Squirtle, not the domestic breed Oak gave out to young trainers. Isabelle longed to capture it and find out more about the differences between the wild and domestic Squirtle, but she was interrupted by Pidgeotto, who cried urgently, beckoning for her to come. Even Wartortle responded to the cry; she probably realised she needed to be on her best behaviour. It seemed to Izzy that Wartortle finally understood she was serious about this lifestyle.

Leaving the wild Squirtle behind, the team ran after Pidgeotto until they came to a little inlet. There, the surf was coloured purple with unmoving bodies. Coming near, Izzy saw they were Tentacool, who likely had been washed up and dehydrated in the sun. A little hesitant to touch the poisonous water types, Isabelle ordered Ivysaur to get on Pidgeotto's back. He could drag the Tentacool with his vines and Pidgeotto would fly over sea where they would release them. As soon as they hit water, their parchment-like skin should soak up the water, leaving them able to swim away again. Wartortle was ordered to push them back into the water with any water attack she had.

Isabelle was grateful for her team, whose members were effective enough that she didn't need to touch the Tentacool. They might be primarily water types, but they were some of the more poisonous ones out there.

As soon as the Tentacool hit the water, or were hit by water, they grew twice their size, having shrunk when they dried out. It was a surprisingly unsettling thing to see. Within seconds, they started moving again and swam back, deeper into sea. Despite not liking their type, Isabelle couldn't help but admire their resilience. They had been basically dead, baking like that in the sun, and now they're swimming away like nothing really happened.

When all of them were gone, Isabelle hugged Wartortle, brushing the sand off her shell. They all deserved praise with a job well done. Still, Isabelle regretted being unable to document the wild Squirtle.


	73. 073 Tentacruel

**#073 Tentacruel**

 _Tentacruel, the jellyfish Pokémon. The evolved form of Tentacool. Tentacruel's tentacles can be freely elongated and shortened, and can absorb water to stretch to some length. The tentacles are normally kept short, but on hunts, they are extended to ensnare and immobilize prey. It weakens the prey by dosing it with a harsh toxin. Its red orbs glow when it grows excited or agitated, and it may alert others to danger by stridently flashing them. Tentacruel can be found throughout the ocean – Nurse Evergreen._

After the excitement of rescuing the Tentacool and a well-deserved lunch, every member of Nurse Isabelle's team was free to do their own thing, to enjoy their rare free time on the beach. Ivysaur was asleep on the blanket in the shade, snoring with every other breath. Wartortle was swimming again, apparently planning on getting as much exercise as she could before they'd leave for the mountains, early tomorrow morning. Pidgeotto was catching the rubber balls shaped like Jigglypuff that Isabelle threw at him, training his reaction speed. Out of all of her Pokémon, Pidgeotto was most interested in battling. Not wanting to make the same mistake she'd made with Wartortle, Isabelle was giving a little bit into his wishes outside of his duties in the team. She should have taken Wartortle to those salons and breeding contests and all, but she hadn't noticed sooner. It was a bit too late now, regretfully.

Pidgeotto flew beautifully; the strong sea wind only excited him further and he soared as he never had before. Not for the first time, Isabelle noticed how large her bird was for its kind. It may be within the ranges of the species and due to the exercise it got, but it was remarkable regardless. Pidgeotto had no problem catching the balls Isabelle threw for him, no matter how weird they flew or how low they went.

Suddenly, they heard terrified cries from the ocean. Isabelle turned her head just in time to see Wartortle go under despite her thrashing around. From under the trees, Ivysaur came running as Pidgeotto circled over where Wartortle disappeared. Despite Izzy's current annoyance with Wartortle's behaviour, she did love her turtle. By the time Ivysaur caught up, the bird was hovering over the water, taunting the attacker to come up to the shore, which it did. The massive shell of a Tentacruel broke the surf with, clutched in his tentacles, Wartortle, who was twitching violently. Assuming the turtle had been poisoned, Izzy ordered Ivysaur to attack with his razor leaf. Tentacruel had too many tentacles to keep them all busy, so a diversion would not work.

In a manner Isabelle had not before from her Pokémon, her remaining two Pokémon worked together like they'd been fighting together for years, without the need for any further commands. Pidgeotto managed to grab one of the tentacles and proved his immense physical power by lifting the jellyfish in the air. The ordered razor leaf cut Wartortle free, injuring the Tentacruel so that his tentacles retreated. A well-timed vine whip caught the turtle as she fell, swiftly pulling her back to land.

As Isabelle cradled her unconscious turtle in her arms, she watched Ivysaur charge up a solar beam, strengthened by the sunny weather. Within no time, he managed to blast off Tentacruel far from the shore, causing the violent water type to retreat under the waves. Wartortle trembled against her chest and working the opening of the antidote into a spasming turtle's jaw proved difficult. More was spilled than was ingested, but with every bit Wartortle drank, the tremors lessened.

When Izzy decided she was finally stable, she called Wartortle back to her her Pokéball. Gratefully, she wrapped her arms around her exhausted Pidgeotto and Ivysaur.

"You guys were great. I'm so proud of you, and I'm sure Wartortle is, too!" Her praise was accented by the blinding light that came from inside her hug. Covering her eyes and leaning back, Isabelle couldn't really tell who was evolving. When the light was finally gone, the nurse blinked a couple times. The first one she saw was Ivysaur, looking both stunned and pleased for his friend, who had evolved into a gorgeous, massive Pidgeot.

"Sweet lord, you're big now, Pidgeot!" Isabelle exclaimed, getting up from the sand. The bird was as tall as she was now, and 3 times as broad. "I look forward to riding you."


	74. 074 Geodude

**#074 Geodude**

 _Geodude, the rock Pokémon. Geodude can be most often found on mountain trails and fields. It will sit still in these areas, which is why it is often mistaken for a rock. It is occasionally stepped on, and will lash out in anger when this occurs. When Geodude sleeps deeply, it buries itself halfway into the ground. Once buried, it will not awaken even if someone steps on it. In the morning, Geodude rolls downhill in search of food – Nurse Evergreen._

Having left the beach and summer clothing behind, Nurse Isabelle, back in her normal attire, was now headed for the mountains and Pewter city, somewhere within those mountains. She had an appointment with the Gym leader, Brock. The night before she would arrive: known for flirting, with only a few of his Pokémon currently in town. Some Zubat and several Geodude. The rest were not in the Gym at the moment, so she'd have to come back another time. She'd called to postpone the meeting, but Brock had insisted that he needed her to look at his Geodude, for a second opinion. So here she was, nearly at Pewter city.

Despite the eternal layer of dust and dirt in the town, the air always felt crisp and clean. The mountains surrounding it never lost their icy peaks, which created a lovely view. It was rather cold though, this high in the mountains. Izzy zipped her already closed coat up just a fraction more.

As she walked through town, she cast a wry look at the Pokémon centre. She could see the balcony on which she had spent a lot of time after Beedrill had died on her. She still regretted being unable to save it.

At the entrance of the Pewter Gym, Isabelle was received by a Joy, who wasn't wearing her nurse outfit. With jeans and a pink jumper, she looked rather casual. But one thing struck Isabelle as odd: instead of a slim figure that came with their lifestyle and young age, this Joy's tummy showed a bump. Not quite like fat, but it was too hasty to assume any other possibility.

"My husband, Brock, is inside," Joy told her as they entered the shabby-looking Gym, which was made mostly of rocks and wood.

"You married him?" Isabelle asked surprised as they made their way through the place which was littered with rocks.

"Hmhm," Joy hummed affirmatively. "I could not resist him. One who courts with a passion burning brighter than Charizard's fire is simply irresistible." She said with a slight swoon. Isabelle looked a little sceptic.

"And had he declared this love to any other women?"

Joy shook her head. "Not since we married. He only has eyes for me. Well, us." She said as she stroked her bulging stomach.

"Congratulations," Isabelle said, sincerely. She remembered this Joy to be a caring woman, who helped her through after a particularly bad experience as a young nurse.

"Thank you. Do you want any kids?"

"Not sure… Yes and no, if that makes sense? It doesn't match well with this lifestyle."

The pregnant nurse nodded. "It's a good thing I've settled. Wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise."

Brock was found in the main hall, where most battles were held. He sat on the floor, among the rocks, talking to yet another rock. Upon closer inspection, it was a Geodude who had burrowed himself into the ground, seemingly upset.

Isabelle approached and knelt down in the dust to look at the Geodude while Brock behind her kissed Joy's stomach and then her full on the mouth. Ignoring the wet sounds, she gently stroked the Geodude to attract his attention. And indeed, his eyes opened to look at the nurse. Isabelle smiled gently.

Geodude looked rather the worse for wear. It was obvious he had been in a lot of battles because he was all chipped and worn away, making him smaller than he should be. Brock had mentioned this one on the phone. He said he needed advice on when to retire his starter.

"You're a tough one, aren't you? Look at you. All these battle scars. Surely, Brock is very proud with a Pokémon like you." Upon Izzy's piercing look, Brock nodded eagerly. "See? I bet you're the toughest Geodude in this entire Gym, maybe even of all Pewter or all of these mountains!"

With his ego puffed up, Geodude came out of the hole, showing the full extent of his injuries.

"Those little pebbles that call themselves Pewter Gym Geodude could learn a lot from you. And as the Senior Geodude, it's your task to guide them to be the best they can be!"

"Geo!"

When Geodude had hovered off to join the other Geodude training a bit further away, Isabelle turned to Brock.

"He'll need to retire soon. He's too chipped away and all that's gone won't grow back. Not for Geodude at least. Do you know what a broken Geodude looks like? Let's say they're named after geodes for a reason. Don't break him, please."

With a despairing look, he nodded. "I'll tell him soon, okay? Let him live a bit longer in this glory you've reminded him of. Would helping him evolve help?"

"At this age? Not likely. I worry he'll be brittle after the transformation. Your choice, of course."

Brock nodded thoughtfully, scratching the whiskers on his chin. The man had matured a lot since marrying the sweet nurse. Joy gently pulled Izzy away from Brock and his Geodude, offering her a cup of tea.


	75. 075 Graveler

**#075 Graveler**

 _Graveler, the rock Pokémon. The evolved form of Geodude. Its preferred movement is rolling, presumably because it is a slow walker. It often rolls down mountain paths at high speeds, crushing objects in the way and stopping by running into huge rocks. If it gets damaged, it can recover over time. Graveler climbs a mountain from base to summit, feasting on rocks all the while. Upon reaching the peak, Graveler rolls down to the bottom, only to climb back up again. Graveler can be often found on mountain trails, so travellers, be warned. - Nurse Evergreen._

While Nurse Isabelle was having tea and cookies with the married Joy, the Pewter Gym leader himself joined them. He told them he had hadn't been able to break the news to his senior Geodude just yet and asked if Isabelle would join them for dinner. Joy explained with a hint of pride in her voice that Brock loved to cook. After agreeing with genuine delight, Isabelle watched Brock retreat to the kitchen. Seeing him cheer up from being in the kitchen reminded her of Dominic. The ranger was passionate about cooking as well; he often sent her recipes he found, excited to cook them sometime. The list was growing much faster than they could eat, though.

The house attached to the Gym, where Brock and his wife lived, felt awfully empty. From the number of built-in beds, it was obvious this house once held many people, yet none were present at the moment. On the walls, pictures hung of kids who looked just like Brock. A feminine version of Brock with a basket of Pokémon eggs, a teenager Brock look-alike with a Charmander. There was even a picture of a girl holding a young Geodude, with the note underneath saying "Suzie and Geodudette", which made Isabelle giggle. Brock's family was much larger than her own and they seemed to have had a wonderful childhood.

"They've all grown up and left to explore the world," Joy spoke from somewhere behind her. "As a teenager, Brock always took care of his siblings, until his father was up for the task again. Recently, Brock's father, Flint, has retired as Pewter city Gym leader, and so Brock was called back from his travels to take over. He was travelling with the daughter of the Cerulean Gym and some kid with a Pikachu who wished to challenge the Kanto League. Brock inherited a ragtag crew of Pokémon from Flint and had them checked. That's how he and I met," she said with a fond smile on her face.

Because Joy seemed truly in love with the rock-type gymleader, Isabelle smiled kindly at her. "I'm glad that it worked out for you. I hope for Brock he isn't too lonely without his siblings? Surely, he misses them a lot."

Joy nodded and stroked her stomach. "He does, but it helps that we're starting a family of our own." She laughed. "He's such a naturally caring person. I have no doubt he'll be a great father."

Behind them, in the door opening, Brock stood, smiling at his wife, who wasn't aware he was there. Then he left again as a kitchen timer went off.

After a truly marvellous meal, Isabelle packed her bag, getting ready to leave. It was getting late and Isabelle was weary from travelling since dawn. But before leaving, she had to fulfil her promise to be there as support when Brock would tell his Geodude it was time to let those little pebbles, as Isabelle called the younger Geodude, to take his place.

Joy and Isabelle stood a bit away, outside of hearing distance. At first, Geodude seemed happy with the compliments, obviously hearing about how well he served the Gym. But when the moment came he was told he'd have to retire for the sake of his own health, the rock looked confused for a moment before crossing his arms stubbornly, turning half away. If he could, he would have shaken his head. Both nurses watched with pain in their hearts; it was heartbreaking to see a Pokémon not wishing to retire, but he'd fall apart and die if he continued.

With a sigh, Brock stood up. It was obvious it was Brock's choice whether he'd retire the Geodude or not. He could simply not use him for battle anymore. However, as a trainer, it helped if the Pokémon agreed with your choice.

"He'll come around eventually," Joy promised her husband, who joined them. "We'll find a new role for him. It's not like we'll keep him in his Pokéball forever. It'll be alright, sweetie."

Izzy regarded the Geodude with a sigh. Somehow, the refusal to give up reminded her of her mother. She made a mental note to call her mother tomorrow morning.

On the double doors that marked the entrance to the Gym came insistent knocking.

"We're closed!" Brock called out, for it was dark out, nearing bedtime.

"Sir, please. I have nowhere to go," came the reply. With a sigh, Brock opened one of the doors. A thin man came in, poorly dressed for the crisp mountain air in a tattered shirt and holey pants.

"How can I help you?" Brock asked as he closed the door against the cold. The gym, however, wasn't very well insulated. The Pokémon who lived here did not need warmth, after all.

"I know this is a strange request but I have no other choice. Please purchase my Graveller!" The man held out a worn Pokéball. The shiny red surface had gone dull with scratches and dust from the mines.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm begging you, good sir. I lost me job at the mines and me wife and young ones are hungry. If I can't work in the mines, I don't need a Graveller." He offered the Pokéball to Brock again, insisting he'd take it.

"How did you lose your job, good man?" Joy asked gently, joining her husband's side who seemed at a loss what to do.

"It's me leg, m'lady. A boulder crushed it. Can't walk so well now, so the foreman sent me home. No use for a cripple, he said. But mining's all I know, m'lady."

Brock took a deep breath. "Bring the man inside. Give him some dinner. I need to think this over." He watched his wife and the impoverished stranger go. Izzy watched the scene with interest. Judging from the state of the gym, Brock did not have a lot of money yet. Purchasing the Graveller might be beyond his capacity yet he was too kind to deny the man.

"Isabelle. What is your opinion on this?" Brock asked without looking at her, causing Izzy to uncross her arms.

"What if you offer the guy a job here? Dude's a miner. Obviously knows his way around rock-typed Pokémon. Get registered as a Kanto League gym, as Flint was, if you aren't yet. You can fill your team with some adopted Pokémon from the centre or catch your own in these mountains."

Brock looked at her for a few moments, mulling it over. "Not a bad plan. It'll be a lot of work but we already have the means necessary right here. Go official and make it my and my wife's job. I'll discuss it with him. Thank you, Isabelle."

As Brock went back to his house to discuss the plan, Isabelle left quietly through the front door. It was time for her to leave, and she desperately wanted a bath and a bed. Being so close to the mines made her feel icky from the dust in the air.


	76. 076 Golem

**#076 Golem**

 _Golem, the megaton Pokémon. The evolved form of Graveler and the final evolution of Geodude. Golem is known for rolling down from mountains. To prevent them from rolling into the homes of people downhill, grooves have been dug into the sides of mountains to serve as guideways for diverting this Pokémon's course - Nurse Evergreen._

Having spent the night at Pewter city Pokémon centre, Nurse Isabelle walked through the doors entirely invigorated, holding a bagel between her teeth as she made sure the tie on her braid was secured tightly. Just through the automatic doors, someone leapt out in front of her with a loud shout.

"Hey there! Going somewhere?"

It was Dominic, that sly son-of-a-Bellsprout. He was grinning smugly at Isabelle, who had nearly choked in her bagel when he startled her.

"Damn you!" She glared at him when she recovered the possibility of death by bagel. He laughed and kissed her cream-cheese flavoured lips.

"I'm sorry. Is that better?" Smiling fondly, Isabelle nodded, before taking another bite. "I'd like to show you something while you're around here," Dominic said as he walked with her out of town. "I really like the mountains. It's much more untamed out here because frankly, it's hard to control mountains. Grass can be controlled, woods and even rivers can be moved. But not mountains; you can't move a mountain. People have to submit to nature here, whereas nature seems to play a secondary role in the cities or on the plains."

As they walked, they saw Machop play-fighting by throwing rocks and a singular Geodude at each other, the latter merely taking this with a sullen frown and crossed arms. However, this was not what Dom wanted to show her, as he led her deeper into the mountainrange, hiking as they breathed in the fresh air. At first, Isabelle heard them before she saw them, but when Dominic pointed them out, she watched in awe.

Golem were climbing a steep mountainside. Whenever they lost their footing, they withdrew into their thick shell and rolled noisily down the hill. At least four Golem were at it, who stayed together like a pack or a family. It was a rather rare sight, so Izzy enjoyed every moment of it.

As they walked along, Dom took a printed email from his pocket and showed it to Izzy so she could take a brief look. It was written slightly sloppily with some spelling errors, but nothing major. What was cute was the fact it started with "Yo nerd!"

"You've got a younger brother?" Izzy guessed as the sender had the same surname as Dominic did.

Dom nodded, smiling. "Yeah. His name is Hal - Hamilton actually, but he prefers Hal - and he's still back home in Johto. He says he's going to try for the Johto League soon. Getting all the badges and so on. It's a solid plan."

"Oh nice! How old is he?"

"15, now. Father made us wait before we could set out into the world. I do believe he already picked up his starter, though. I can't remember what it was…"

Isabelle nodded. "I was sixteen when I went to the nursing school and had worked with mother in the Celadon centre since I was a young girl."

They talked some more about their youths and continued walking, downhill this time, till they came to a nice place with water and grass, like a little oasis among these grey mountains. Unfortunately, Dom's phone rang. He walked away as he took the call, which was probably just a habit. When he came back, his face was grim.

"I have to go. There's been an emergency," he said. Isabelle couldn't suppress a whine.

"Ugh really?" It sounded more annoyed than she had intended. "We only just got here."

Dominic frowned at her. "When duty calls, I have to go. These Pokémon need help. You of all people should understand. You ruined our date because the Abra needed help."

"Excuse me? Are you holding it against me I rushed to their aid? They were sick!" Izzy stood up, angrily, to match his height, somewhat.

"No! Argh," He fisted his brown hair. "I'm just saying that we both put our work first. I'm not accusing you of anything. Oh, you're frustrating! Look, I've got to go, urgently." With that, he stormed off.

Too upset to go after him, Isabelle sat down in the grass near the pond, watching a Psyduck float on its back, totally uncaring of the screaming fight that just happened nearby. Only when storm clouds came rolling in did Isabelle return to Pewter, hoping not to run into Dom. She didn't want to tell him she had realised he was right. Nevertheless, it sucked not being able to spend much time together.


	77. 077 Ponyta

**#077 Ponyta**

 _Ponyta, the fire horse Pokémon. Ponyta is very weak at birth. It can barely stand up. This Pokémon becomes stronger by stumbling and falling to keep up with its parent – Nurse Evergreen._

Just before dawn, Nurse Isabelle set out with a mission. She had been reading up on this for a long time and today was the day. Those who followed her blog would have an idea of her fascination and research. With a backpack filled with medical supplies and extra food, she started the hike that would lead her deep into the mountains, leaving Pewter behind her for now. She wouldn't return here soon.

The first time Isabelle had heard of the phenomenon she was hoping to encounter today was when she was studying for a final exam at nursing school. It was fire Pokémon, their ideal temperatures and how to maintain it. On the tiniest side note, it mentioned that if the fire was blue, it was usually a sign of hotter than normal fire, but also that it could be affected by certain minerals. And that's where the search began.

Today, about three years after that first hint that started her search, Isabelle hoped she was about to see it with her own eyes. Some of the deeper mountains around here contained special minerals. Nothing exciting there, as minerals were everywhere. But there was one location where copper could be found in the mountain range. Several mines have been dug and abandoned, making it a paradise for Geodude, Zubat, and maybe even the odd Clefairy. On the plains of this mountain supposedly lived a herd of Ponyta, and Isabelle was going to find them.

The place where most Pokémon felt safe was the place where humans could not come easily. So, therefore, it was quite a task to get there, but Isabelle would not give up. She longed to meet the Ponyta of the copper mountain and see if her research proved to be true.

It was well past noon when she finally made it, after hiking for hours. She could not have chosen a better place herself. Some water ran down the copper mountain through the little valley she was at, which was still at quite some height. Lush grass grew here which was a delightful change from all the rough stone that had scraped Izzy's hands and knees. And the best thing about this place just came running past.

An entire herd of blue-flamed Ponyta thundered past her, making Isabelle stare in awe. They were even more gorgeous than she had previously imagined. Having lived for generations on this mountain, the copper was in their blood and bones. Their flames, according to Isabelle's estimations, would burn blue long enough to last them for a lifetime, potentially for generations away from the mountain. To study these magnificent creatures some more, Isabelle was going to catch one. Also, her feet hurt from walking everywhere, so a horse would be very useful if she had to be somewhere quickly. What she didn't plan, however, was to broadcast the location of these magnificent horses. She had been careful in her posts to speculate the possibility of them existing but never if and where they did, as these horses were rare and valuable

Having spoken to Wartortle last night, the plan was simple and clear. Only one direct hit of her hydropump should be enough to weaken a Ponyta sufficiently so it could be caught. Izzy did not want to extinguish the flames. Their chance came when the herd came running past again. This time, one of the Ponyta was a bit behind, making it a perfect target. Holding the familiar, spherical shape of a Greatball in her hand, Isabelle readied herself for action. With a command, Wartortle unleashed her hydropump, indeed hitting the Ponyta hard enough to knock it over and away from the herd. Before it even knew what had happened, Isabelle had flung the ball at it. After wiggling a while, Isabelle was the proud owner of a copper mountain Ponyta.

Running for it, Isabelle grabbed the Pokéball and left the valley, in case the rest of the herd might get upset with her. As soon as she was on firm, level ground again, Isabelle summoned Ponyta from her ball. The fiery horse was gorgeous. Her blue fire was accented by her milky white fur. However, it seemed to be very timid and on the small side. When Isabelle reached out her hand at it to look at its teeth to see how old it was, the horse shied away, taking a couple steps back. This was a problem. Potentially the runt of the herd, which might explain why it lagged behind.

Keeping her hands behind her back, Isabelle merely watched it from a few steps away. Judging from the leanness of the limbs, this was a young Ponyta, maybe a year or two old. It also was clearly a female, judging from the lack of … ahem … gear. Slowly, Isabelle reached out her hand.

"Hey there, Ponyta. No need to be scared of me. I'm sorry if I hurt you. Will you be my friend?" She said in the softest, gentlest voice she could manage. Very, very slowly, Ponyta reached out her snout and nuzzled her hand. The skin was very soft to the touch, which made Izzy giggle and Ponyta shy away again. The two had a long way to go before Isabelle could ride her gorgeous mount, but the young nurse was definitely willing to put in the effort required.


	78. 078 Rapidash

**#078 Rapidash**

 _Rapidash, the fire horse Pokémon. The evolved form of Ponyta. Rapidash usually can be seen casually cantering in the fields and plains, as it is a popular Pokémon for farmers. However, when this Pokémon turns serious, its fiery manes flare and blaze Nurse Evergreen._

Ever since leaving the mountains surrounding Pewter City, Ponyta's timidness worsened. Nurse Isabelle seemed to have either underestimated her age, or had a really insecure fire type on her hands. Regardless of the reason, the two had a long road ahead before they could be anywhere near the bond Izzy shared with Ivysaur. Every attempt at bonding, from being near each other to gentle touches, resulted in Ponyta shying away or flinching.

Once a week or so, Isabelle called her mother, Elenor Evergreen. The retired head nurse knew a lot about Pokémon psychology and even more about the bond between parent and child. She was the one who suggested that Izzy should go to Cinnabar island, home of the biggest fire-type expert in Kanto, to introduce Ponyta to Blaine's herd. All horses in the herd were caught and trained by Blaine, and could help Ponyta settle, as long as she wasn't rejected for the colour of her fire.

Sitting on the deck of the ferry that went between Vermillion and Cinnabar, Isabelle remembered the way she ran away from Blaine the previous time she had been there. Blaine needed someone in his life, but Isabelle could not be that person. Besides, she was too young for the middle-aged man. It filled her with dread returning, despite Blaine having sounded perfectly professional when she had called him.

Now that Pidgeotto had evolved into a Pidgeot, he had no trouble keeping up with the ferry, despite the sea wind. He seemed to relish it. Battling the strongest winds was one of the things that appeared to bring him joy.

As Isabelle disembarked from the boat, Blaine stood there with crossed arms, waiting for her. She had called him yesterday to let him know what she came to do, and here he was. When she approached him, he stiffly nodded his head.

"Miss Evergreen."

"Thank you for having me," Isabelle replied with a slight bow of her head before heading up the mountain. They had agreed not to show Ponyta off in public, as she would attract a lot of attention. While attention wasn't a problem for Isabelle, Ponyta probably would be unable to handle it yet.

When they were a suitable distance away from the town, Blaine handed Isabelle a fireproof bridle and went to stand a little distance away. With the bridle over her shoulder, Isabelle summoned Ponyta. Upon appearing on the slope of a volcano in a vastly different place from where she grew up, the fiery horse reared in panic.

"Shh, Ponyta. Calm down. I'm here," Isabelle soothed her, being careful not to get too close to those hooves. A familiar voice seemed to help a little, causing Ponyta to stop rearing. She showed the horse the bridle she held. "I have this for you. It'll guide you up this foreign mountain. You're perfectly safe while you're with me, okay?" As she spoke, she carefully put the bridle over her frightened horse's head and fastened it gently. "See, not so bad, right? You can look all you like while we walk. We're on an island. Land surrounded by sea. Isn't that cool, Ponyta? It's so warm here. That's because of that volcano."

Blaine watched her carefully as she interacted with the newest and youngest member of her team. She assumed she didn't do much wrong or else he would have said it.

Somewhere near the Cinnabar island gym, there was an area fenced off. That's where he kept his Ponyta and Rapidash herd. The area was relatively large for such a small island, but as the gymleader, he owned a lot of land. Isabelle led her own Ponyta through the gate and took the rope off, leaving her free to explore. Moving back to sit on the fence, Isabelle watched anxiously to see whether her fire horse was accepted.

One of the Rapidash, looking truly magnificent with its fiery mane, approached the young, shaking horse. Despite her odd looks, Ponyta was greeted with a nuzzle of the head before she was guided to the rest of the herd to run with them.

"That's my Lady," Blaine said, leaning on the fence next to her. "The very first Ponyta I ever caught. She's the leader of the herd and has been looking out for every addition. If anyone will make your Ponyta at ease, it'll be her."

Isabelle smiled, watching her Ponyta run with the others of her kin. She looked so much happier. There were times she fell behind a bit, but unlike her own herd, this one slowed down to prevent her from trailing too much.

"Captured Pokémon are much closer than wild ones, aren't they? I was able to catch this Ponyta because the slowest and weakest lagged behind," Isabelle asked, causing Blaine to hum affirmatively.

"Do you know how to ride Ponyta?"

"Eh.. not yet." Isabelle admitted. "Wasn't much room for it in Celadon."

Blaine scoffed and mumbled something about bloody citygirls before offering to teach her. Wouldn't do to ruin such a young horse with that kind of experience.

As her blue-fired Ponyta grew stronger and more confident in the herd, Blaine taught Isabelle how to ride a horse on Lady, his Rapidash. Izzy couldn't have asked for a gentler horse. Whenever she made a mistake, Rapidash corrected it for her. This way, she was able to feel how Rapidash moved as she was taught the correct way to guide a horse. Blaine declared she needed more practice and suggested her staying the entire weekend on the island. The inn in Cinnabar town would have a room for her.

Ponyta stayed with the herd and Izzy spent her second day helping out at the gym and riding Lady, gaining confidence and skill. While tough, Blaine was a good teacher. All awkwardness Izzy had felt coming here had disappeared as Blaine pretended his offer had never happened. That suited Izzy just fine.

On her final day on Cinnabar island, Isabelle rode her Ponyta for the first time. While her own horse was much less self-confident, they managed to ride decently, using the instructions Blaine gave. Still, they made mistakes in moments of miscommunication. After the second time Isabelle fell off, Blaine called it a day. Feeling rather sore all over, Isabelle was inclined to agree.

With Ponyta in her ball for the first time in days, Isabelle shook Blaine's hand.

"I apologise for my behaviour the previous times you were here. I acted out of place. It's just… you look so much like my late wife," he apologised, surprising Izzy. "Anyway, I want you to have this. It's the bridle I loaned you. It's nothing fancy, but you can use it until you can afford a better one. Keep your Ponyta close. She's one of a kind and can be a very loyal friend to you once you two feel confident around each other."

With a smile, Izzy thanked him for his advice and training. They had amended their professional relationship and set up a schedule for monthly visits. Last, but not least, Blaine showed her a few photos he took of her while she was learning how to ride. It was the one where she smiled brilliantly next to Lady that she kept as the cover on her blog for a long time.

She longed to text Dominic, to tell him all about her weekend at Cinnabar, but she assumed he was still mad at her as she hadn't heard from him all week. It made her feel sad and lonely.


	79. 079 Slowpoke

**#079 Slowpoke**

 _Slowpoke, the dopey Pokémon. Slowpoke uses its tail to catch prey by dipping it in water at the side of a river. However, this Pokémon often forgets what it's doing and often spends entire days just loafing at water's edge – Nurse Evergreen._

On the boat back from Cinnabar island, Nurse Isabelle could be found on the deck. She sat at the railing, having slid her legs through the gaps, feeling the sea spatter droplets against the soles of her bare feet. Her arms held onto the railing at chest height and her head rested on her arms, watching the island behind them grow smaller and smaller.

The sea wind tasted salty on her lips and messed up her hair in the best way. It was nearly dusk and Isabelle wished to miss no moment of the gorgeous sunset over sea. The sky coloured from pale blue to a gorgeous rosy/purple colour that she had yet to find in any Pokémon. With every minute, the colour changed as the sun sank deeper behind the horizon.

Next to her, a Slowpoke sat. Not impressed with the beauty of nature, he sat with his back towards the sunset, dangling his tail off the side of the boat, where Isabelle's own feet hung. Waving her hand in front of his face, she wasn't entirely sure whether the Slowpoke was awake or just sleeping with his eyes open. He was awfully quiet; making no other sounds than his deep breathing.

Isabelle stroked Slowpoke over his short-haired head, before standing up to regain some feeling back in her legs. The dim-witted Pokémon did not respond so the young nurse walked away.

As she sat on one of the benches on the ferry, putting her socks and shoes back on, a guy suddenly yelled in alarm. Trained for such things, Isabelle was on her feet in an instant and rushed over to where the guy was yelling. She found him at where she had left the Slowpoke to … whatever it had been doing. The guy was pointing at Slowpoke now, as the Pokémon cradled its tail to his chest. The white part of the tail had been bitten off! As a woman fainted nearby, she stepped over her to kneel in front of the Slowpoke, who was oddly silent. Of all Pokémon to treat, Slowpoke were the easiest. While they weren't the best in telling where it hurt, they never attacked either. They're just a tiny step higher than the plush dummies the girls had trained on. Running her hand over the stump that didn't bleed at all, Isabelle smiled and rubbed Slowpoke's head again. Then she stood up and turned to the hysterical man.

"Are you Slowpoke's trainer?" The guy nodded, in tears. Forcing herself to be patient, she showed him her ID. "I'm Nurse Isabelle Evergreen, a fully trained Pokémon nurse. I want to let you know that Slowpoke is perfectly okay. This happens more often than you think, and Slowpoke's tail will grow back. They're really cool like that. So, please sir, calm down. Slowpoke isn't in any pain and, in a month or so, it should have grown back."

"A month?!"

"Yes, well… Like everything Slowpoke does, regenerating also goes very slowly." She offered him a soft smile. "Don't worry. Your Pokémon is okay. Now, can someone see to this lady? I'm a Pokémon nurse, not a doctor…" She referred to the lady who had become unwell at the sight of the amputation just as Isabelle had been about to check on Slowpoke. A man tenderly carried the lady away after identifying himself as her brother, to revive in the captain's cabin.

With the Slowpoke in his arms, the man must have thanked to Isabelle a dozen times before he finally disembarked from the ferry. A little bit annoyed but very amused also, Izzy entered Vermillion to spend the night at the Pokémon centre. Maybe she could earn some money by doing the night shift. She was running a bit low on funds and was not tired at all.

Before she headed out, she wrote an email to Dominic, telling her of the bitten Slowpoke and the very un-Slowpoke-like trainer that accompanied it. With a sigh, she shut off her laptop, put on some shrubs and went downstairs to work a graveyard shift.


	80. 080 Slowbro

**#080 Slowbro**

 _Slowbro, the hermit crab Pokémon. The evolved form of Slowpoke. Slowbro's tail has a Shellder firmly attached with a bite. As a result, the tail can't be used for fishing anymore. This causes Slowbro to grudgingly swim and catch prey instead – Nurse Evergreen._

The Vermillion Pokémon centre, which Nurse Isabelle worked at for a little while, had built a new care unit. Until the new hire arrived, Izzy agreed to work there, for which the centre was very grateful. This new enclosure was for abandoned Pokémon, where, after they had recovered from any physical illnesses in the main centre, they would be taught to trust humans and Pokémon again in the new unit. So, mental issues were the primary focus here.

All kinds of Pokémon came here. If a trainer released their water Pokémon in the sea, for example, they came here via Vermillion harbour. Having been with a human too long, they could not join their wild kin anymore, so they sought out humans in the harbour. The Pokémon specifically bred to be starters did not have an exact wild counterpart anymore. They had been bred to be domesticated.

The treatment centre was a separate building of the Pokémon centre, less in view of travellers. Pokémon would first have to go through the main building anyway, before being placed in the rehabilitation unit. Most Pokémon that arrived did not have Pokéballs anymore, so they had to be accommodated in a different manner. There were huge tanks for the water types and fenced off areas for the other types. Stray Pokémon sometimes showed up as well, drawn by food left outside for just such an occasion, who were also fed and treated there.

Working at the new unit for a few days, Isabelle discovered that most Pokémon responded well to this treatment. Many were deemed ready for either release or adoption rather soon after arrival. Ivysaur helped too, talking to some downhearted Oddish. Ivy loved his human a lot, and Izzy hoped he could convince the Oddish that not all humans were bad.

On her second day, a Slowbro was brought in. This massive, pink water type turned out to be a very tricky case. He liked Izzy well enough, but even after a week, he did not respond at all to other trainers. It did not help that he took an unusually long time to respond to anything. Isabelle could have sworn it had taken him five minutes this morning to even realise she had entered the unit. It soon became clear that Slowbro would not be released back in the wild anytime soon, as he would likely starve.

Sitting with one of the Oddish in her lap, taking a break, Izzy noticed a woman standing in the doorway. To greet her, the young nurse stood up, causing Slowbro to hug her leg, which he occasionally did as she was about to leave for the day. Normally, Slowbro were almost as tall as she was, but this one was extraordinarily tiny, about Slowpoke size, reaching to her waist. No one really knew why, but it made it easier to handle, Izzy thought.

The woman at the door had a Slowbro of her own, who called out to Izzy's protege. Over and over, they called "Sloooow" at each other, in some sort of slow form of communication. Leaving them to it, Isabelle extended her hand to the lady.

"Good day. I'm Nurse Isabelle. And who might you be?"

"My name is Lorelei of the Elite Four. You may have heard of us. I've come to check out Vermillion's answer to the great number of abandonment cases over the years. I had not expected to find you here. I occasionally stumble upon some of your research. Good job on the Abra case. You are younger than expected, though."

Isabelle gave a soft smile. "I'm staying here for a small while. I've been here since coming back from Cinnabar, while I work here and, soon, at Vermillion Gym too. What brought you here?"

The lady with the red hair and spectacles sighed for a moment, looking at the unsure Oddish in Izzy's arms, giving it a little rub over the head. "We, as the Elite Four, are trying our best to be the good example for Pokémon trainers in the entire region. You'd never see us abuse our Pokémon. Yet people still do it, and it makes me so mad!" Her voice became frighteningly sharp as her eyes narrowed behind her spectacles. Isabelle nodded quickly.

"I've recently happened to discover a box of Growlithe puppies, this winter. Left out there to starve to death, or to freeze, whichever would come first. I was too late for some of them. It broke my heart…" Isabelle took a step back as Lorelei shed her cool exterior to become somewhat like a Charizard with her burning eyes and fiery hair. "S-So, I'd love to help you guys with your cause. I'll do what I can. Okay?" She held out her hand.

Lorelei shook it, gripping it painfully tight. "Deal. We'll get those who harm Pokémon and make them pay!"

Lorelei scared Isabelle, very much so. They exchanged numbers and Lorelei followed her blog where she made posts of her journey.

"I made need you, soon. Keep an eye out on a team of Pokémon poachers. They're bad news. There's a large reward out for any tip that leads to their capture, as well as any of their bases. The Abra case was only a small tip of the iceberg that is Team Rocket, as they call themselves."

Promising to call as soon as she discovered anything, Isabelle sighed in relief when Lorelei left the unit. After lunch, the new hire for the department finally arrived, relieving Izzy of her week-long task. As she received her wages for the week, she overheard that the Slowbro at the care unit had been adopted by Lorelei.


End file.
